If You Ask Me Too
by kimmiek2006
Summary: Matthew Casey and Sylvie Brett are stuck at Firehouse 51 with their friends due to a severe thunderstorm that has taken out the power to everything. What happens when Brett has to go back home to Fowlerton for a family emergency and Casey is the one who takes her? This is a Casey and Brett fanfic for Chicago Fire. Feedback is always appreciated and welcomed!
1. Thunderstorm

CHAPTER 1

Sylvie Brett and Emily Foster were doing inventory and restocking the ambulance at Firehouse 51. There was a terrible thunderstorm outside and the power at Firehouse 51 had gone out. The radios weren't working due to the weather, so getting called out to a fire was going to be hard. Total complete darkness set in at the firehouse and it made for an interesting shift. Even the cell phone towers were out, making it hard to communicate with the outside world.

"Foster, can you hold the flashlight while I do inventory of what we need?" Sylvie asked.

"Sure." Emily said as she held the fashlight so Sylvie could see.

"Shoot. We are out of Narcan and gauze pads. Remind me to put that on the list of things we need to get." Sylvie said.

"So, what's the deal with you and Casey?" Emily asked.

"We're just friends." Sylvie laughed.

"That's what you always say when I ask you what's up with you two." Emily said.

"Because that's the truth." Sylvie laughed.

After taking inventory of the ambulance, Sylvie and Emily headed inside to the common room. The firehouse was in complete darkness. Sylvie hated the dark. Ever since she came home from finishing her shift back when she first moved to Chicago and found that robber in her apartment, she's hated the dark. It gave her the creeps. Sylvie made her way to the corner table where she always sat. There were three flashlights sitting in the room to give the room light. She searched for a familiar blonde hair and blue eyed man but didn't see him.

"I know who you are looking for." Stella Kidd said as she walked over to where Sylvie was.

"Haha, very funny." Sylvie smirked.

"He's in his office if you wanna go see him." Stella smirked and walked away before Sylvie could respond.

Sylvie casually glanced up from time to time but didn't see him. She finally decided to get up from the table and walk the hallways. She was restless. No one in the house could respond to a call because of the storm. Radio communication was down. Cell service was down. Internet was down. It was driving Sylvie crazy. She walked by Matt's office at least three different times before he noticed her pacing the halls.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Matt curiously asked.

"Pacing back and forth." Sylvie nervously said.

"I take it that you hate the dark." Matt noticed.

"Yeah. Ever since I came home from shift when I first moved here and caught..." Sylvie trailed off.

Matt could tell Sylvie was nervous because she was rambling on and on.

"What happened? What did you catch?" Matt asked out of curiosity.

Sylvie realized she had backed herself into a corner.

"I came home from shift one night back when I lived in the bad part of town and I noticed that my things were all over the place. When I went to check out the place, I saw the robber and he was coming for me. I picked up a baseball bat and started hitting the guy until he left." Sylvie explained.

Matt was shocked. He had no idea that Sylvie had been in a dangerous situation like that before. No wonder she didn't like the dark.

"I had no idea." Matt said.

"No one knows. I never told anyone." Sylvie said.

"So that's why you hate the dark?" Matt asked.

"Yeah." Sylvie replied.

They talked for a few minutes but he could tell Sylvie was restless. The whole entire house had no communication whatsoever. The roads were blocked due to debris outside. You would think a tornado or hurricane had hit the streets with the way the wind was blowing. It was completely dark outside. The whole house had about three calls before the power went out and before it got dark outside. Chief Wallace Boden walked up to Matt.

"Casey, any news on the communication system?" Chief Boden asked.

"No, Chief. The last update I got was right before the power went out." Matt said.

"Thanks. Just make sure that everyone in the house is getting some sleep because right now, the power could come on at any time and there is a possibility that we could get called out as soon as the power comes on." Chief Boden said.

Matt nodded and Boden headed back to his office.

"Speaking of sleep, you should go get some rest. You can stay in here if you want." Matt suggested as he pointed to the bunk in his office.

"I'll take you up on that." Sylvie smiled as she walked over to the bunk to lay down.

Sylvie quickly fell asleep. Matt quietly left his office and walked to the common room to see how everyone was doing.

"Alright, listen up. I don't know when the power is coming back on or how we are going to go on calls since the radios and cell towers are down and all of the communication systems are down, but Boden wants you all to try to get some rest because the power could come on at any time and there is a very strong chance that we will be called out on calls. Until the power comes back on, Boden does not want us to leave. Until further notice, we are on lock down. You can go anywhere in the building except outside. The doors are locked so if you leave, you can't get back in." Matt said.

"Got it, Captain!" Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann said.

"Alright, you heard the Captain. Let's all try to get some rest because it's going to be a crazy night if the power comes back on." Lieutenant Kelly Severide said.

Everyone got up and headed to the bunk room where they all tried to get some sleep. Stella went to Kelly's room since she and Kelly were dating. In house dating was against the rules, but it didn't stop everyone from breaking the rules. Boden would sometimes look the other way. The only thing that Boden would ask is that those were were dating within the house not put their relationship on full display at the house. Outside of the house, they could do whatever they want but inside the house, it was work relationship only. Matt headed back to his office and saw how peaceful Sylvie was sleeping.

"Casey, is there any way possible that you and Severide can get all of the first aid kits ready just in case we need them?" Boden asked.

"You got it, Chief." Matt said as he got up and went to Severide's office.

Normally, Stella and Kellly would be all over each other, but Stella was tired just like Sylvie and crashed on the bunk bed in Kelly's office.

"Hey, Boden wants us to get all of the first aid kits gathered up just in case of an emergency." Matt told Kelly.

"You got it." Kelly answered.

The two of them went to the common room and wrangled Herrmann into helping them. They placed all of the first aid kits in the common room on the kitchen counter. Sylvie had woke up and started roaming the halls again. Restlessness crept in with everyone. As Sylvie walked the halls, she noticed that the emergency lights weren't working. That's how bad the storm is outside. Only Chief Boden had the key to open the firehouse's main door and Sylvie just needed to get some fresh air. She felt like she was suffocating. The firehouse was starting to get hot on the inside as the power was still out. Luckily, the coolness of the winter weather outside helped keep the inside of the building from getting too hot. The winter weather felt more like Spring weather and Sylvie loved it. She walked to the main doors and stared out the window. Her thoughts running a million miles a minute in her head.

"Hey, I was wondering where you were." Matt said.

"I had trouble sleeping. I hate being restless. There's something about the sound of a good thunderstorm that is calming, unless we are out on a call, then it's not so calming." Sylvie giggled.

"I know what you mean. The rain is soothing, especially at night." Matt said.

"When I was younger, I used to sneak outside during the summer after my parents and brother were asleep and I'd sit on the porch swing and would swing while it rained. My mom finally caught me one night when I was a teenager." Sylvie babbled.

Matt found Sylvie's rambling to be cute. He chuckled.

"So what happened when your mom finally caught you?" Matt asked with a chuckle.

"She told me that she used to do the same thing when she was my age and just gave me a blanket a pillow. I'd always fall asleep on the swing." Sylvie explained.

"So I'm guessing that all of this rain is making you miss those summer thunderstorms." Matt pondered.

He was curious. There was something about Sylvie Brett that he didn't know and he craved more. He wants to know her in every way possible.

"Yeah, I am. The only problem is that it's winter and it feels like spring outside." Sylvie giggled.

Matt chuckled again. A few hours went by and the power was still out.

"Hey Chief, is it alright if I step outside for a minute. I feel like I'm suffocating in here." Sylvie said to Boden in his office.

"You know, that sounds like a good idea. Go get everyone and have them meet in front of the main entrance." Boden said as he got up from his desk.

Sylvie headed to the common room to tell everyone what Boden said.

"Hey guys, Chief wants us to meet by the main entrance right now." Sylvie instructed.

Everyone got up and headed to the main entrance where Boden was waiting on them.

"Brett brought it to my attention that it was getting a little stuffy in here, so we are going to get some fresh air for a few minutes. I'm gonna prop the door open to allow some cool air to come in. There's not much we can do with the storm but it looks as if the rain has slowed down a bit." Boden said.

Boden opened the door and one by one, everyone stepped outside. Boden propped the door open with a door prop and then followed everyone outside. All they could see was trees on top of trees in the road. Some cars were damaged from the debris of the storm, but it seemed as if the storm was starting to pass. Matt watched as Sylvie stood with the wind blowing in her face. The wind was blowing her hair away from her face.

"Ah, this air feels amazing." Sylvie smiled as she continued to feel the air on her face.

Sylvie was standing close to the others near the entrance way but was far enough away from them to talk privately with Matt.

"All that's missing is music." Matt said.

"Is that so? What song or what kind of music would you prefer on a stormy night?" Sylvie asked.

"I like rock and metal, sometimes country and bluegrass. Depends on my mood. For this kind of weather, I'd go with the song, Purple Rain by Prince." Matt said.

Sylvie gave him a look.

"Purple Rain by Prince, huh? Well, then you wouldn't like my song then." Sylvie smirked.

"And what song would that be?" Matt asked in amusement.

"Rain by Patty Griffin. It's an older song, one that's not very popular. I heard it a few years ago and fell in love with it." Sylvie half smiled.

Matt gave her a questionable look.

"Maybe we can listen to it one day." Matt said.

Sylvie smiled.

"I'd like that but fair warning, it does make me cry, so maybe not." Sylvie giggled.

"Well, you always have a shoulder to cry on if you need one." Matt said.

Sylvie looked at him and gave him a half smile. It only took a minute for Matt to process what he had just told her.

"I appreciate that and I'm sure that there might be a time when I'll need to take you up on that." Sylvie responded.

"Let's hope it's for something good and not bad." Matt said.

Sylvie turned around and saw that the others were heading back in.

"Casey!" Boden yelled.

"Yeah, Chief?" Matt asked.

"You guys come inside in a few minutes, but pull the door back when you come in." Boden said.

"Got it, Chief." Matt said.

The whole time they were outside, it was lightly raining, but still raining nonetheless. Everyone suspected that there would be flood damage in some areas and that tomorrow would be busy, but they didn't get off work until 7:30 p.m. the next day. Sylvie and Matt stayed outside for five more minutes before heading inside.

"You wanna know the best part about having an iPod?" Sylvie teased.

"What's that?" Matt asked.

"You can listen to music without being interupted by a text or phone call." Sylvie laughed.

"Do they still make those?" Matt asked.

"I don't know. I've had mine ever since I moved here." Sylvie replied.

"You do know that you can put songs on your phone so you don't have to carry that iPod around." Matt said.

"Yeah, but I can just use the iPod as my music source and conserve the battery on my phone for work and personal calls and messages." Sylvie said.

Matt knew to not argue with Sylvie. He knew that she was stubborn but it was just one of the many things he loved about her. They walked into the common room and waited around with everyone else. Sylvie walked over and sat down beside of Stella and Emily, who were sitting at the long table that was lined up near the wall.

"What's with the smile?" Stella asked.

"What smile?" Sylvie asked.

"You only have that big smile on your face whenever you and Casey have had some sort of heart to heart or something." Emily said.

"I do not." Sylvie scolded.

"Oh yes you do." Stella smirked.

"I'm not the one who sneaks off to the laundry room to get it on with the Lieutenant." Sylvie joked.

"I can't argue on that. Kelly is really good in bed." Stella laughed.

The girls continued to chat and laugh, while the men chatted about their own life.

"Dude, what's with the grin?" Kelly asked Matt.

"What grin?" Matt played off the question.

"The grin that you always have whenever you and Brett are talking." Kelly implied.

"It's not like that. She's just a friend. She helped me through the divorce." Matt tried to change the subject.

"Look, if Brett didn't remind me so much of Shaye and I wasn't with Stella, you better believe that I would be all over her. In all seriousness though, you both deserve to be happy and if she makes you happy, I say go for it." Kelly said.

Matt shot Kelly a knowing look.

"I know what you are trying to do and it's not going to work. We are just friends." Matt chuckled.

"Look, I haven't seen you laugh or smile since Gabby left. If Brett makes you happy, go for it." Kelly said.

"What if Gabby shows up again? We had a one night stand a few weeks ago." Matt said.

"Then you'll cross that bridge when you get there. Listen, Gabby made her decision to leave and go to Puerto Rico without talking to you about it. She's the one who dumped you. She's the one who broke your heart when she sent those divorce papers with her signature on them. Gabby is the one who talked you into running for Alderman in the first place when you didn't want too. All I'm saying is that Brett has been there for you through everything." Kelly explained.

"You're right, Brett has been there for me through all of this, but it's my fault she even got back together with Kyle." Matt said.

"Look, Kyle's out of the picture. As far as I know, Brett is single and so are you. Why not go for it?" Kelly said.

Matt looked over at Sylvie, who was still talking to Stella and Emily. She was smiling and laughing, something that Matt hadn't seen in a long time.

"Because Brett is a friend and more importantly, she's Gabby's best friend. That's it." Matt tried all he could to deny his feelings but Kelly struck a nerve with him.

Sylvie got up and headed to the bunk room. Matt looked up and saw her leave. He decided to follow her but before he could catch up to her, she was already in the bunk room asleep. He didn't want to wake her, so he went back into his office to get some sleep. It didn't take long for the others to follow in their footsteps and get some sleep. The conversations that both Matt and Sylvie had with their friends, lingered in their minds while they slept, or at least while they tried too sleep.


	2. After The Storm

Thank you guys for all the feedback! I truly appreciate it. I know that Kelly's talk with Matt about Gabby in the last chapter was one that might not have been how he would have handled it, but this chapter explains why he sort of lashed out about Gabby leaving. Also, there is romance in this story but it's not going to be right away, so I hope you all will be patient with this. I like a slow burn for characters who are in the process of becoming a couple because it builds to their friendship and to their actual relationship when they finally get together. Please continue to leave reviews and comments and I hope you all like this chapter!

CHAPTER 2

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Sylvie asked.

"Ah, no. It's this weather. I don't think I've ever seen a storm this bad before. I got a feeling that come daylight, we all will be outside working, possibly helping clean up debris." Matt said.

"You're probably right, but I think there's gonna be a lot of flooding going on." Sylvie responded.

"You're right, but we still need to be prepared." Matt sighed.

Sylvie could tell that Matt was frustrated about something.

"What's wrong? I know that look, Casey." Sylvie said.

"What look?" Matt questioned.

"That look you get when something is bothering you." Sylvie said.

Matt looked at her with a half smile. Did he just hear her say that she recognized one of his looks, one of the looks that Gabby never noticed or did but brushed it off? He was happy to hear that Sylvie noticed the way he looked.

"Truth?" Matt asked as he got up from his desk and pulled the door shut.

"Truth." Sylvie answered.

Matt closed the blinds and kissed Sylvie with so much passion. She returned the kiss and it had never felt more right. Then reality hit him.

"Casey, Chief needs us in his office." Kelly yelled.

Why in the world was he daydreaming about Sylvie for? He cared about her, but he couldn't help but think about her. Matt got up from his desk and walked to Boden's office where Kelly and Boden were.

"Casey, I need you, Severide, and Herrmann to go outside and access the damage so that when day breaks, we can get on it. The storm has stopped but the power is still down. I need to know if we can get anyone in and out of here. I want to know how bad the damage is and what we need to do to move the debris. This storm did some damage, but if we get called out, I need to know that we can get every vehicle out of here." Boden said.

"On it, Chief." Kelly said as he and Matt left Boden's office.

Matt went to the common room to get Herrmann.

"Herrmann, we need you to help us." Matt said.

"Coming, Captain." Herrmann said as he left the common room.

Sylvie looked up from the table she was sitting at and saw Matt leaving but not before he gave her a look. Herrmann, Kelly, and Matt did as they were told and accessed the damaged. They moved a few trees but the real damage was in the streets. Trees had fallen on top of vehicles and debris flooded the streets. Although it was daylight outside, the sky was filled with dark clouds. There were no signs of a clear sky or of the weather letting up.

"Captain, we have a problem!" Herrmann called out.

Matt walked over to where Herrmann was standing.

"What in the...it looks like a tornado! Get inside and take cover!" Matt yelled.

The three of them ran inside.

"Hey guys, there's a tornado heading this way! We need to take cover!" Matt yelled.

"Everyone to the bunk room! Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Boden yelled.

Everyone ran towards the locker room. Matt, Herrmann, and Kelly weren't sure if the tornado was heading their way or if it was heading the opposite direction but they knew that they had to take cover just in case. Everyone knew the drill for taking cover in this situation. Matt defensively protected Sylvie. His instincts were to protect her. Everyone was huddled in the bunk room against the walls. They couldn't see or hear anything. Everything was still out. After an hour, Boden got up.

"Casey, Herrmann, Severide, come with me. The rest of you, stay here. If we aren't back in ten minutes, then come look for us." Boden said.

While Boden, Kelly, and Herrmann were walking out, Matt stopped.

"I'll be back. I promise." Matt whispered into Sylvie's ear and then left.

Sylvie looked up and watched Matt leave.

"What was that about?" Emily spoke in a low voice.

"Nothing. He was saying that they would be back." Sylvie said.

Stella and Emily gave her a look.

"That's what Kelly always tells me but he says it all seductively." Stella quietly laughed.

The three of them let out a quiet laugh. The men came back in after a few minutes.

"You guys can get up now. That was definitely a tornado but from what we can tell, the power is still out and there is debris everywhere, but it seems as if the storm has passed. We saw the power company out there accessing the damage but it looks like we can't do much here. All we can do is wait for the power and communications to come back on. I've checked my phone and service is still out. I'm gonna need you all to be ready for anything." Boden said.

Everyone got up and stretched. Stella and Kelly went into his office and pulled the blinds down, which meant that they were not to be disturbed unless it's important. Sylvie went to the locker room to get a shower but remembered the power was out, so she went to Matt's office.

"Hey, since we finally have some sort of light coming through the windows, I was wondering if we had any bottles of water to use to take a sponge bath. I literally feel dirty." Sylvie laughed.

"The only bottles we have are bottled water in the common room." Matt said.

"In that case, I'll wait." Sylvie said as she turned around.

"Hey Brett, come here." Matt said as he closed the door behind him.

He lowered the blinds and gave Sylvie a passionate kiss. Sylvie returned his kiss with just as much passion.

"Earth to Casey." Kelly joked.

Matt snapped out of his daydream.

"Oh, sorry. What's up?" Matt asked.

"Boden said that if the weather clears up and we can get out when shift is over, we can stay and get overtime but it's optional, not mandatory. That goes for everyone." Kelly said.

"Thanks, Severide." Matt said as he went back to his thoughts.

"No problem. I've already told everyone in the common room so they can decide what they wanna do. So far everyone said they would help except for Stella, Brett, and Foster." Kelly replied.

"What's with Brett and Foster?" Matt curiously asked.

"They weren't in there and neither was Stella. They probably went to the bathroom or locker room to do some kind of girly thing." Kelly joked.

The two men laughed.

"I'm sure they would stay." Matt half smiled.

"I agree." Kelly said.

Kelly went to his office where Stella joined him shortly after. Sylvie, on the other hand, was in the Chief's office.

"Hey Chief, I know you are offering overtime and it's not mandatory, but I can't stay. I want to stay, but I can't." Sylvie said.

"It's not mandatory, but can I ask why?" Boden asked.

Sylvie pulled out a letter that she had been carrying all day and handed it to Boden. Boden read the letter and then handed it back to Sylvie.

"Go take care of this after shift. We got everything covered here." Boden said.

"Thanks, Chief." Sylvie replied.

"Brett, if you need anything, let us know." Boden said.

"I'm gonna need a few days off to go to Fowlerton. I have to make sure everything is ok." Sylvie told Boden.

"Whatever you need." Boden replied.

Sylvie got up, opened the door to Boden's office, and walked to Matt's office. She dreaded telling him that she has to go back to Fowlerton, but she had to do it.

"Hey, you got a minute. We need to talk." Sylvie fretted.

"Sure, what's up?" Matt asked.

"After shift, I have to go to Fowlerton. I received this letter and I have to go." Sylvie rambled as she handed Matt the letter.

Matt read the letter and gave it back to Sylvie.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Matt asked.

"I don't know how bad it is. I keep checking my phone every chance I get to see if I have service. I need to call and see how things are." Sylvie said.

"Your family is important. If you need anything, just know you can always call me." Matt stated.

"Thanks. That means a lot." Sylvie noted.

Matt got up and gave her a longing hug. She returned the hug.

"Hey, everything's gonna be alright." Matt said.

"I know." Sylvie replied.

Sylvie and Matt walked to the common room where everyone, including Chief Boden, were gathered. As they were prepared to hear what Boden was about to say,  
the power came back on. Everyone started cheering and rejoicing about the power being back on before they settled down.

"Alright, now that we have power, let's see if the radios are up and working. Be ready for any possible calls we may get." Boden said.

Boden left to go check the radios. The radio communication was still down, but the power to the firehouse was back on and that was a start. Sylvie checked her cell phone and was able to get signal.

"Hey mom, I got your letter. What's going on with dad?" Sylvie asked.

"He had a heart attack. They are doing emergency surgery as we speak, but honey, we need you here as soon as you can. I know the power has been out and the phones have been down, but if you can come home as soon as possible, that would mean the world to me." Sylvie's mom said over the phone.

"As soon as shift ends, I'm gonna go home and pack some clothes. Chief is giving me the week off and if I need more, he said he would figure something out."  
Sylvie said.

"Alright, sweetheart. Just be careful. I love you." her mom said.

"Love you, too." Sylvie replied.

They both hung up the phone and Sylvie went back to work. Everyone was in the locker room taking turns getting a shower. After everyone took a shower and changed clothes, they started cleaning the debris outside around the firehouse. The radio communications were still down but cell service was back and that's all they had to work with. Phone lines were down for work phones and the debris outside was horrible, but it didn't stop everyone at 51 from working. Sylvie's mom was old school when it came to getting in touch with people. Although she did have a cell phone and a house phone, Sylvie's mom and dad preferred to write letters to Sylvie. It was one of the things that Sylvie's parents told Sylvie to do because phones may not work. Still, Sylvie's mind was on her father. She looked around outside to see how much damage her car sustained during the storm, but to her surprise, her car wasn't touched. In fact, all of 51's employees vehicles were untouched. Sylvie felt like Otis was there with them. After Otis died, the whole house had lost a huge part of their family. Sylvie wasn't around when Leslie Shaye had been a paramedic and although her loss was felt through the house, it didn't compare to Otis. Otis was the one who could make everyone laugh, even in a serious situation. Otis was like the missing puzzle piece that completed the house. No one loss was more important than the other, but a few of the members took his death harder than others. Getting back to work was hard, but life went on. Kelly, Matt, and Herrmann were working with their crew on the debris.

"Cruz, I need you and Capp to get the leaf blower. We are gonna try to blow some of the small and loose debris away." Kelly ordered.

Joe Cruz, Sylvie's roommate and ex boyfriend, went with Capp, another member of Squad 3 to get the leaf blowers. Matt was helping Truck 81 and helping Herrmann with Engine 51 cut up the bigger trees.

"Gallo, I need these trees sawed up as best as you can. Get Mouch to help you. Herrmann!" Matt called out.

"Yeah, Captain!" Herrmann yelled.

"I need these trees moved! They are blocking the the front entrance!" Matt yelled.

"Got it, Captain! Alright guys, let's move them!" Herrmann ordered.

Herrmann and the rest of Engine 51 helped Matt and Truck 81 move the trees from the main entrance. Squad 3 was on the back lot clearing the entrance. Engine 51 was helping both Truck 81 and Squad 3 with anything they needed. Sylvie and Foster had found some rakes and garden gloves and used trash bags to rake the small debris that surrounded the firehouse that Squad 3 hadn't yet cleared. Chief Boden was inside the firehouse trying to get in contact with anyone from headquarters but couldn't get through. After everyone had finished doing all that they could to clean the debris up around the firehouse, they headed inside to see what they could find to eat for lunch. Kelly, Matt, and Sylvie stayed back for a minute. Kelly needed to talk to Matt and Sylvie was checking on her father's condition.

"Casey!" Kelly yelled.

"Yeah." Matt replied.

"Listen, I just want you to know that I wasn't trying to bad mouth Gabby in any way. I just didn't like how she left you without so much as talking to you about leaving." Kelly said.

Matt gave him a look.

"Where is this coming from?" Matt asked.

"When we were finally able to get service, I had gotten a text from Gabby. She wanted to know how you were doing. I said that you were doing fine and that you were working. I didn't mention anything else. It got me thinking about how good of a friend she was to me and I felt like I had probably said some things about her that I shouldn't have." Kelly explained.

"I get it. You know, Brett and I have been spending a lot of time together lately and if we're being honest, I kind of like her, but Gabby left and it still hurts. Ya know?" Matt answered.

"Yeah, I do. I just didn't want you to think it was out of line for me to say those things about Gabby when she's been a really good friend to me and I should have minded my own business." Kelly said.

"Do you remember when she left and I spent months getting a text here or there or a video call that lasted less than minute?" Matt asked.

"Uh, yeah. You were hurt." Kelly said.

"Exactly. I remember how you were when Shaye died and I think that when Gabby left without saying goodbye to you and the rest of the house, you took it hard.  
Am I right?" Matt asked.

"Yeah." Kelly admitted.

"Plus, I know you were still angry about that whole Grissom sitation that happened earlier." Matt said.

Fire Commissioner Carl Grissom was Kelly's father, Benny Severide's, good friend. Grissom begged Kelly to come back to OFI (Office of Fire Investigation) but Kelly refused too. Kelly and Grissom had a huge fight about how Kelly should be in a higher rank than Matt and how Chief Boden was holding Kelly back. Kelly told Grissom that he was happy as a Lieutenant on Squad 3, but with Grissom, there was always a hidden agenda, especially where Kelly Severide was concerned.

"Yeah. That too. I think I just need a freaking drink and since we couldn't get out of the house last night because of the storm, I just went off and I'm sorry about that." Kelly said.

"No need to apologize but I forgive you. So, uh, what else did Gabby say?" Matt asked.

"Nothing. She just wanted me to tell you she's happy. Other than that, that's all she said." Kelly said.

"Thanks." Matt replied.

"Hey Casey, I do think that you should be happy and I see how you look at Brett. Give it a chance and see where it goes. I love Gabby and always will as a friend, but what could it hurt too see how things go with you and Brett?" Kelly said.

Kelly headed inside the firehouse to give Matt something to think about. Matt stayed around to see how Sylvie was doing.

"Everything ok with your dad?" Matt asked a crying Sylvie.

"No. He's getting worse and they aren't sure if he'll make it through the surgery. They found several blockages and the surgery is taking longer than they had anticipated. I've gotta see if Chief can let me leave right now." Sylvie rambled through tears.

Matt's heart broke for Sylvie. He wanted nothing more than to pull her close to him and never let her go. He wanted to be the one that she could lean on.

"You're not driving in this weather." Matt said.

"What are you talking about? I have to get to Fowlerton. How else am I going to get to Fowlerton Hospital?" Sylvie questioned.

"I'll take you. We'll go see Chief Boden and tell him the situation. I'll drive you. You are too emotional and the last thing we need is for our number one paramedic getting in a car accident because she's crying." Matt said.

Sylvie knew better than to argue with Matt. That was one of the many things that she liked about him.

"Fine." Sylvie said.

With that, they headed inside to talk to Boden.

"So, the plan is that I'll take Brett to the hospital to see her family and see how her dad is doing, stay at a hotel, and be back before next shift." Matt said.

Boden gave Matt a knowing look. Matt knew that Boden's look meant that Boden was onto Matt's true intentions.

"Casey, I want you to take next shift off to rest. The trip to Fowlerton is going to be long and you are going to be exhausted. Stay the night in Fowlerton and then come in after next shift. That's an order." Boden said.

Matt nodded to let Boden know that he understood Boden's orders.

"Brett, I've called in a replacement for you, so you don't have to worry about that. Chout said that he could use the extra shift, so he's covering your shift while you are gone. If you need anything, let us know. We are here for you." Boden said.

"Thanks, Chief. I appreciate that. The last time I talked to my mom, she said they found some blockages during surgery and it was worse than they had originally thought but we are still optimistic." Sylvie said.

After talking for a few more minutes, Matt and Sylvie left the firehouse. The drive to Sylvie's apartment was not one she was ready for. She knew the risks of a heart attack, especially with the blockages, and she knew that there could be a chance that her father could die. All of these thoughts raced through her mind but she was happy that Matt was taking her. He was right. There was no way she could have made it as emotional as she was. They arrived at her apartment and she packed a suitcase full of clothes, including dress shoes and a black dress that she might need but hopefully didn't have to use. Matt helped her with her suitcase and carried it to the truck for her. This was going to be a long ride, so Matt decided to stop at a gas station to fill the truck up with gas and get some snacks to eat, before heading on the road. She couldn't imagine going to Fowlerton with anyone else to help her deal with this.


	3. Fowlerton

Thank you everyone for the reviews! I hope you all continue to leave feedback and reviews! This story mentions Sylvie's mom, dad, and brother and I have changed their names from the previous fanfic story I wrote with her parent's names in it. I hope you all enjoy this story!

CHAPTER 3

Matt and Sylvie had a long drive ahead of them and knew that the last thing Sylvie wanted to do was talk. They were parked at a gas station where Matt had stopped to get gas.

"Alright, so I have a big bag of Cheddar and Sour Cream chips, some Skittles and Starbursts, some donuts, and of course, drinks." Sylvie chirped.

Sylvie tried to fake a smile and act like this was just another random road trip, but Matt knew better.

"Well, since you were on snack duty, do you also want to be on music duty? I mean, it will be hard for me to drive and try to find a decent station that actually has decent songs." Matt chuckled.

"Yes! You do realize that this means I can play anything and you don't get a say, right?" Sylvie teased.

"Yep and I got a feeling I'll regret this, but you're the boss." Matt flashed a smile.

"Hey, you're the one who put me in charge, so it's too late to change your mind." Sylvie joked.

Matt loved that Sylvie was smiling and was laughing. He glanced over at Sylvie before pulling out. Although her big, beautiful, bright blue eyes had been covered in tears earlier, he saw her beautiful blue eyes shining right now and it made him happy. He needed to see her happy and smiling because his heart ached for her. A piece of Sylvie's hair covered one of her eyes. Matt gently brushed it out of her hair. The touch of his hand sent shivers down her spine.

"There. Now I can see those beautiful eyes." Matt whispered.

Sylvie's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't help but give a smile.

"Well, just for that, you get one song of your choice to use between now and the time we get there. Choose wisely because you can only use it one time." she joked.

"I think I'll save that song for later down the road." Matt smirked.

They both laughed and Matt pulled out of the gas station.

"Hey mom, it's me. Uh, a friend of mine that I work with is bringing me to see you and dad. It's a little after 1 p.m. and we should be there by 4." Sylvie said over the phone.

"Sweetheart, you two be careful. I know the storm was pretty bad outside so take your time and be careful." her mom insisted.

"We will. I'll call you when we are close. Love you." Sylvie said to her mom.

"I love you, too." her mom said as they both hung up the phone.

Matt's mind raced with the thought of hearing those words again. Maybe he and Sylvie can be together someday or at least go out on a date, but now wasn't the time. His primary focus is making sure that she's alright and that he takes her mind off of everything for the next three or four hours.

"Are you kidding me?" Matt chuckled.

"What? I like the song." Sylvie said.

"You listen to Def Leppard?" Matt asked.

"Yeah. You seemed surprised." Sylvie noticed.

"Well, yeah. I haven't met anyone who knows more than one Def Leppard song. I usually hear Pour Some Sugar On Me from everyone but never any other song. They are one of my favorite bands." Matt pointed out.

"Blame my parents. They love the 70s and 80s music. Every day after school there was usually some sort of 70s or 80s song playing on the radio. My little brother would always blast some sort of AC/DC or Metallica in the car on our way to school when we were in high school. Drove me completely crazy." Sylvie reminisced.

"How much older is your brother?" Matt asked.

"A year. I remember when my mom told him that he could drive to school but only on the condition he took me with him. He hated it. At first, he would play that sort of music just to irritate me, but over time, I grew to like the music." Sylvie said.

"So, your brother is the one who got you hooked on that type of music, huh." Matt said.

"Yeah. I remember when I got a car for my seventeenth birthday. My mom told me and my brother that we would have to rotate cars unless we got a job. My brother being the ever so charmer that he is, convinced my mom to let us both drive our cars separately and that we had to pay for our own insurance. Well, my brother talked one of his many girlfriends into paying his car insurance for a year." Sylvie laughed.

"A year? How in the world did he get away with that?" Matt chuckled.

"Let's just say that he owed me. I told our parents that he and I were working in an after school program and she bought it...that is until she came to school one afternoon and found out that we lied to her about it. I was staying after school, that part was true, but it was because I was failing math and when my mom found out because the school called, she grounded me." Sylvie explained.

"Sylvie Brett got grounded? No way." Matt teased.

"I got grounded for three months and couldn't drive my car. My mom found out about my brother getting one of his many girlfriends to pay his car insurance when her dad called and said that his daughter told her that she was paying for it. Because I covered for my brother, I got grounded for another month and he got grounded for the rest of the school year. Needless to say, we couldn't do any extracurricular activities at school until the next year. That's the short story and that's the story I'm sticking with." Sylvie stated.

Matt chuckled. He tried picturing Sylvie as a troublemaker or even getting in trouble but he couldn't. It amused him.

"So, what about you?" Sylvie asked.

Sylvie knew a little about Matt's background because Gabby had told her but she didn't know the whole story and didn't want to push the subject.

"I'm not sure how much Gabby told you or if she told you anything, but my childhood wasn't all that great. My sister and I used to be close but our father was very abusive. One night while my sister and I were at a friend's house, our father got mad at our mom because she came home five minutes late. When my sister and I came home, our father was beating our mother and at one point started beating the two of us. I watched our mom grab a gun and kill our father. My sister could never forgive our mom for killing our dad and that day shattered our family. Christie, my sister, had a hard time forgiving our mom. It took us years to mend our relationship but it wasn't easy." Matt explained.

Sylvie was shocked. Gabby had told Sylvie that Matt had a rough childhood but that's all Gabby said.

"How are things now?" Sylvie softly asked.

Matt didn't want Sylvie to cry. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He pulled off onto a restroom exit and then parked his truck in a parking lot at the rest area. He looked over at her and noticed the sad look on her face. He placed his hand on her face and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Well, you basically know the rest because of what happened with Gabby but I'm ready to start over again." Matt blurted out.

Sylvie reached up to where Matt's hand was cupping her face and touched his hand and smiled.

"I'm happy for you. You deserve to be happy." Sylvie whispered.

Deep down, she wanted nothing more than to pull him into a kiss but now wasn't the time. She didn't want to kiss him because of what's going on with her dad and their stories about growing up. If they were going to kiss, she wanted it to mean something more than just a kiss. He wanted the same thing but neither of them said anything.

"You deserve to be happy too." Matt whispered in a low, deep voice.

He took her hand in his and brought their hands down onto the console. She squeezed his hand for reassurance. They got out of the truck to go use the restroom and to stretch. They had been driving for a while and needed a little break from the road. Sylvie met Matt back at the truck.

"You good?" Matt asked.

"Yep. Let's go." Sylvie smiled.

They got in the truck and headed back down the road.

"Ok, so tell me, what do you think about this song?" Sylvie said as she put on another song.

"Come on, who doesn't like Michael Jackson songs?" Matt joked.

Sylvie laughed. He loved her laugh. He loved her smile. She had the kind of smile that lit up her whole face.

"Ok, but what about this song?" Sylvie said as she put on a 90s song.

"Wait, is that...Nirvana?" Matt asked with enthusiasm.

"Yep. Hey, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is a freaking anthem." Sylvie said as she jammed out to the song.

They goofed around in the car while the song played. When it was over, Sylvie turned on another song, this time, it was more of a pop style song.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you played a pop song." Matt teased.

"What can I say? I like to listen to the BackStreet Boys from time to time." Sylvie giggled.

"I would have taken you for more of an 'NSYNC fan." Matt replied.

"I mean, 'NSYNC is fine but not as great as BSB." Sylvie laughed.

He didn't care how ridiculous their conversation was, if it meant that Sylvie was laughing, then that's all he needed.

"Hey, do you remember earlier when you said that I get one song of my choice?" Matt asked.

"Yeah." Sylvie replied.

"Well, I want to cash in that song on the way back to Chicago." Matt grinned.

"Wait, what?" Sylvie asked, confused about what he had just said.

When they had stopped at the rest area, Matt made a decision to stay in Fowlerton for as long as Sylvie needed him. He knows that she needs a friend from Chicago to be with her during this time. Her friendship with Hope Jacquinot wasn't so great. Hope was a close, childhood friend of Sylvie's but after Sylvie found out that Hope had stolen some money from her previous employee and that she forged an order to get Stella transferred out of Firehouse 51, along with not giving Stella her check with the others, Sylvie had enough. Sylvie had trusted Hope and Hope had betrayed that trust.

"I decided to stay in Fowlerton with you for as long as you need me too. I know Kyle and Hope might be at the hospital, so I figured that I could be there as a support system for you. The last thing you need is to deal with is having Kyle and Hope show up and grudge up the past. I hope you're not mad at me for deciding to stay." Matt said.

Sylvie was touched. She knew that Matt was a thoughtful and caring man, but she didn't expect him to stay with her in Fowlerton.

"No, that's fine. I really appreciate that." Sylvie stuttered nervously.

"I'll stay at a hotel so you can just call me when you need me." Matt said.

"Or...or you could stay with me at my parent's house. I mean, it's a huge house and my brother wouldn't mind having another guy around to talk to." Sylvie suggested.

"Are you sure? I mean, I can stay in a hotel." Matt said.

"Don't be silly. You're staying with me at my parent's house and that's final." Sylvie firmly said.

"Alright." Matt agreed.

They were close to Fowlerton when Sylvie called her mom.

"Hey mom, we are close Fowlerton." Sylvie said over the phone.

"Alright sweetheart. I'll let your brother know. How much longer until you get here?" her mom asked.

"We are about ten minutes away. I'll see you in a few minutes. Love you." Sylvie said.

"I love you, too." her mom said.

They hung up the phone and Matt took the exit to turn off at the hospital. Within ten minutes, they had arrived at the hospital and Matt parked the truck. They got out of the truck and walked inside. Matt felt protective of Sylvie for some reason. Neither of them were sure if Kyle or Hope would be at the hospital, but it was something that Sylvie didn't want to deal with. Her ex fiance, Chaplain Kyle Sheffield, had taken a job near Fowlerton and had asked Sylvie to marry him before he left. Sylvie moved back to Fowlerton with Kyle but Sylvie hated it. She missed Chicago and her friends at 51. She broke up with Kyle because she didn't want to be a stay at home wife and not work. Kyle understood why Sylvie left and didn't hold it against her, but Sylvie's mind was going a million miles a minute.

"Hey, you ready?" Matt asked.

"No, but I have no other choice." Sylvie said.

Matt took her hand and squeezed it.

"I'll be right beside you the whole time. If you get scared or nervous, just squeeze my hand." Matt softly said.

Sylvie half smiled and Matt let go of her hand. They walked into the waiting area where her mom and brother were waiting.

"Sylvie!" her mother cried out.

"Mom, this is my friend, Captain Matt Casey. He works with me at Firehouse 51. Matt, this is my mom, Elaine Brett." Sylvie smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brett." Matt said politely.

"Thank you for bringing my little girl to us." Elaine Brett said.

"You're welcome." Matt replied.

"Evan, this is my friend, Captain Matt Casey." Sylvie said as she introduced her brother to Matt.

"Nice to meet you, Evan." Matt said.

Evan held out his hand to shake Matt's, who gladly shook Evan's hand.

"Nice to meet you, too." Evan replied.

Sylvie looked around the waiting room and there, in the corner of the room with her hands to her face, sat Hope. Right beside of her, sat Kyle. Sylvie didn't want to talk to either of them, at least not here in the hospital. She wasn't ready to face them. Her family came first. Her primary focus was on her family and Matt.

"Have you guys eaten anything?" Matt asked Elaine and Evan.

"No. We've been right here waiting for the doctors to come out." Evan spoke.

"I'll go to the cafeteria and bring some food for everyone." Matt said.

"Would you mind taking Sylvie with you? Um, Kyle and Hope are sitting over there and I don't think she's up for visitors right now." Elaine said.

"Of course, Mrs. Brett." Matt said.

"Any friend of Sylvie's is a friend of this family. Just call me Elaine." Elaine insisted.

"Alright, Elaine." Matt answered.

Matt walked over to where Sylvie was standing.

"Hey, your mom and brother haven't ate yet. Why don't you and I go to the cafeteria and get some food?" Matt asked.

Sylvie was interrupted by her train of thought.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sounds good." Sylvie said.

Matt looked in the direction that caught Sylvie's attention.

"Hey, not right now. Let's go get some food for your mom and brother and we can go from there. Ok?" Matt suggested.

"Ok." Sylvie answered.

Matt and Sylvie quickly walked past Hope and Kyle. Sylvie hoped that neither of them would stop her and Matt. Kyle and Hope looked up and Kyle immediately jumped up and walked over to Sylvie and Matt.

"Sylvie? Hey, how are you?" Kyle asked.

"Uh, fine." Sylvie nervously said.

Sylvie grabbed Matt's hand and squeezed it. Matt knew what that meant. He squeezed it back to reassure her and then Kyle noticed Matt standing beside of her.

"Hey, Matt. How have you been?" Kyle asked.

"Good." Matt answered.

"Sylvie, I'm so glad you could be here for your family." Hope chimed in.

Sylvie grew more annoyed and agitated.

"Of course I would be here. Where else would I be?" Sylvie said.

"Sylvie, that's not what I meant." Hope said.

Sylvie's blood started to boil and she squeezed Matt's hand to let him know that she needed to get out of there.

"It was good seeing you guys, but we have to go." Matt said as he and Sylvie quickly walked away from an awkward situation.

Matt and Sylvie went to the cafeteria and bought food for her mom, brother, and the two of them. This was going to be a long day and the last thing that they needed was to have Hope and Kyle make a jab or some sort of conversation with them that would set Sylvie off. Sylvie had a lot going on and if it weren't for Matt, she would have lost her cool with Hope and Kyle.

"Hey, thanks for everything back there." Sylvie half smiled.

"Of course. Like I said, I'm not leaving until you want me too." Matt reassured her.

Sylvie gave him a hug and he held her for as long as she let him. After what seemed like an eternity, Matt and Sylvie pulled away from the hug and walked back upstairs to the waiting room where Elaine and Evan were waiting. Matt gave Elaine and Evan each a to go box filled with a small salad, chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and a roll with packets of Italian, Ranch, and Thousand Island salad dressing. There was a small corner table near where Hope and Kyle were sitting. As much as Sylvie didn't want to sit there, she had to put aside her issues with Hope and what happened between her and Kyle in order to focus on her family. Evan and Elaine knew about the whole situation with both Hope and Kyle and although Elaine was upset that she and Kyle didn't work out, she knew that her daughter had never been more happy than she was being in Chicago.


	4. A Past Revisited

Thank you all for your feedback and reviews! I truly appreciate it! Please feel free to continue sending me feedback and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 4

After Matt, Sylvie, her mom, and brother had finished eating their dinner, Hope made her way over to the table.

"Elaine, any news on Patrick?" Hope asked.

"No. The doctors haven't came out yet." Elaine answered.

"If you need anything, please let me know." Hope said.

"I will. Thank you." Elaine said with a half smile.

Hope walked over to where Kyle was sitting. Sylvie noticed how smug Hope was acting and it really annoyed Sylvie, but she focused her attention back on her family. One of the doctors who worked on Sylvie's dad, Patrick, came out to greet the family.

"Mrs. Brett?" the doctor asked.

"Yes." Elaine said.

"Mrs. Brett, your husband coded twice during surgery, but we were able to stabilize him. We found several blockages that we were not expecting, which is why the surgery took so long, but we were able to take care of it. He is critical but stable. He should make a full recovery but we are going to keep him here for at least two weeks due to the complications that occurred." the doctor said.

"Can we see him?" Elaine asked.

"Yes, but only two of you can see him. He needs to rest." the doctor said.

"You go. I'll stay." Evan told Sylvie.

"Are you sure?" Sylvie asked.

"Yeah. Dad has been wanting too see you and so has mom. I've missed you sis, but go see dad." Evan insisted.

She grabbed her purse and followed the doctor and her mom to her dad's room. Her dad was groggy but awake.

"Daddy?" Sylvie asked as she entered the room.

"Sylvie, is that you?" Patrick Brett asked his daughter.

"Hi, daddy. How are you?" Sylvie asked.

"I feel like a ton of bricks hit me." Patrick answered.

"That's to be expected after open heart surgery." Sylvie said.

Sylvie, her father, and her mother chatted about her life in Chicago and how things are going.

"How's Chicago?" Patrick asked.

"It's great. We get several calls a day and it stays pretty busy but everyone at the firehouse considers each other like family. When one of us is hurt, we all hurt. When we lose a member, we all grieve together. One of my friends from the firehouse, Matt, he drove me here. He's gonna stay here with me for a few days until we know how you are doing. I told him that he could stay with us at your house. I hope that's alright." Sylvie told her parents.

"Sweetheart, that's alright. So, tell me more about the firehouse you work at. Is it big or small and what do you guys do?" Patrick asked.

"Well, I work as a PIC, you know, Paramedic In Charge, on Ambulance 61 with my partner, Emily Foster. We treat patients as best as we can on the scene before transporting them to the hospital. Some days are worse than others. Uh, my friend Matt, that I told you about, he works on Truck 81. He's the captain. Then there's Squad 3 and Engine 51. We have a Battalion Chief who is ultimately our boss of the whole entire firehouse." Sylvie said.

Sylvie went into detail about what Truck 81, Squad 3, Engine 51, and the Battalion Chief do. She and her parents talked for a bit and then she left, walking back into the waiting room to send Evan back there to see their dad.

"Hey Evan, since dad is doing alright, I think I'm just gonna have Matt take me home. Tell mom and dad that I'll see them tomorrow." Sylvie said.

"I will. Love you, sis." Evan said.

Sylvie gave her brother a hug.

"Love you, too." Sylvie said as her brother hugged her back before heading to see their father.

Hope and Kyle were still there.

"Sylvie. Matt. How's Patrick?" Kyle asked.

"He's stable. He's got a long recovery but it looks like he'll make a full recovery." Sylvie said.

"That's good." Kyle nervous replied.

"Sylvie, I was hoping we could get coffee and catch up." Hope smiled.

Sylvie gave her a look.

"Maybe some other time, Hope. I'm exhausted. Matt and I were stuck at the firehouse with the others all night with no power or anything. We are tired and need some rest." Sylvie nonchalantly answered.

"Oh ok. Cool. Uh, I'll text you later and we can figure something out." Hope said.

Sylvie nodded and gave an awkward smile before she and Matt left the hospital.

"I can't deal with them right now." Sylvie said once they were outside of the hospital.

"I know. It's been a long day. When you're ready, you can talk to them." Matt said.

"I don't know what I would have done if you weren't here." Sylvie teared up.

Matt pulled her into a hug and she returned the hug.

"Look at me." Matt said as he and Sylvie pulled away from the hug.

Sylvie looked up at him with her blue eyes.

"You are one strong woman, one of the strongest that I have ever met. You also have a big heart. That's one of the many reasons we all love you. Sylvie Brett, you can do this." Matt reassured her.

Sylvie was glad that Matt had brought her to Fowlerton. She wasn't ready for this week, but she had Matt with her and that help her a lot. Sylvie and Matt got into his truck and headed to Sylvie's parent's house. It didn't take them long to get there, but Matt was surprised to see that it looked like a farm.

"It looks like a farm." Matt noticed.

"We have horses." Sylvie smiled.

There was that smile that he loved so much. Sylvie grabbed her keys from her purse. Matt parked the car and they got out of the truck. He grabbed her suitcase. He always kept a change of clothes in a duffel bag in his truck for emergencies. It's a good thing he remembered to pack it the other night before the storm came. Sylvie unlocked the door to the house and they walked in. The living room was decorated in pictures of Sylvie and her little brother from when they were younger. Her parents had pictures of her brother from when he was born, but not of her.

"Where's your baby picture at?" Matt asked curiously.

Sylvie was caught of guard. How does she tell him about her adoption. It wasn't any secret but she never liked to talk about it. She was a lot like Matt in that way. He didn't like to talk about his family.

"Oh...um..." Sylvie stumbled.

Matt could tell something was wrong. Sylvie walked over to the mantle and handed Matt a picture frame.

"Here." Sylvie softly whispered.

Matt looked at the picture frame, confused by the contents at first. As he read the contents of what was in the picture frame, he realized the reason he didn't see any baby pictures of Sylvie, but only of her brother. He sat down on the couch and studied Sylvie's expression.

"You were adopted?" Matt asked.

Sylvie sat down on the couch next to him.

"Yeah. I was six. I never knew my birth parents. I got put in the system when I was only two months old. I bounced around from foster home to foster home. I didn't have the greatest childhood, at least not until I was adopted. My parents struggled to have a baby of their own for years and after my brother was born, my mom couldn't have any more children. She and my dad became certified foster parents and adopted me. They wanted to give my little brother a sister. Evan took to me immediately. He became my best friend and the fact that we were so close in age, really helped a lot. So that certificate of my adoption with the picture down in the corner is my first family photo. I never called them anything other than mommy and daddy. That's who they are. They are the only parents that I have ever known and I wouldn't change that for the world." Sylvie teared up.

Tears formed in her eyes and started running down her face. Matt reached his hand up her face and tried to wipe her tears away.

"No wonder you are such a strong woman. You have been through more than most people should ever have to go through." Matt softly said.

"So have you." Sylvie retorted.

Matt and Sylvie sat on the couch looking at each other. Matt's hand was now resting on Sylvie's knee and her hand was on top of his. They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Hey sis, you home?" Evan called out.

"Yeah. In here!" Sylvie yelled.

Evan made his way towards the living room where Matt and Sylvie were.

"Hey, so mom is staying at the hospital with dad and Hope is coming over with Kyle." Evan blurted out.

"Wait, what? Please tell me that you're joking." Sylvie said.

"Sis, you can't avoid them forever. You might as well get it over with." Evan said.

"So, how long do I have before they show up?" Sylvie asked.

Just then, all of them heard a car pull into the driveway.

"Uh, like two seconds." Evan joked.

There was a knock on the door.

"You invited them here, you answer the door." Sylvie said.

Evan walked over to the front door and answered it. As Hope and Kyle came into the house, Sylvie walked into the kitchen and Matt followed.

"You ok?" Matt asked.

"Not really. Hope betrayed my trust when she came to Chicago. She played me for a fool and even had me and Stella fighting and the last time I was here in Fowlerton, was with Kyle. She was all over Kyle in his office but I trusted him, but I can't trust her." Sylvie said.

"Look at me." Matt said as Sylvie looked him in the eye.

"I'll be right beside you. Just squeeze my hand like I told you earlier. Just breathe and just talk to them." Matt said.

Sylvie agreed. Evan knew where Sylvie and Matt were and went to the kitchen.

"Sis, what are you doing in here?" Evan asked.

"Well, since you only gave me like a two second warning about them showing up, I came in here to get myself together." Sylvie explained.

"I'm sorry. I should have called and gave you a warning but they are here now, so..." Evan trailed off.

Sylvie gave her brother a hug.

"I know. Let's just get this over with." Sylvie sighed.

Matt, Evan, and Sylvie walked into the living room where Hope and Kyle were sitting on the couch.

"Hope. Kyle." Sylvie said.

"Hi." Hope and Kyle said at the same time.

"So, what brings you both here?" Sylvie asked.

"We need to talk to you. Not at the same time, but we do need to talk." Kyle said.

"Alright. Well, uh, you and I can talk outside on the porch." Sylvie said.

Sylvie looked at Matt and gave him a nod to let him know that she would be alright. Kyle and Sylvie stepped outside on the porch to talk.

"So, uh, you and Matt?" Kyle asked.

"Oh, no. He's just a friend." Sylvie said.

"I miss you, Sylvie." Kyle said.

"I miss you, too." Sylvie said.

"Then why don't we give this another chance?" Kyle asked.

"Because...I've moved on. Don't get me wrong, I'll always miss you, but I could never be the woman that you want me to be. I can't be a stay at home house wife with no job. That's not me. You're a great guy, but I don't want to live in Fowlerton. You do. I left this town to better myself. I love Chicago. My home is in Chicago." Sylvie said.

Kyle knew that no matter how hard he tried to beg Sylvie to give him another chance, she wasn't going to leave Chicago.

"Are you sure? We can have a great life here." Kyle said.

"Kyle, you're a wonderful man but after my first engagement ended with my fiance leaving me and then our engagement ending because you deserve more from a woman who actually wants the same things you do, I'm sorry. I just can't be with you. You're a great friend and I really did love you, but I all I can ever be is a friend to you." Sylvie said.

"Who did you move on with?" Kyle asked.

"No one. I just meant that I've moved on with my life. You're part of my past, not my future. Chicago is my home and that's where I want to be." Sylvie explained.

Kyle knew that he was defeated and that whatever he and Sylvie had, it didn't amount to how she felt about Chicago.

"Can I give you some advice as a friend and as a Chaplain?" Kyle asked.

"Sure." Sylvie said.

"I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him. Don't make the same mistake Gabby did by letting him go." Kyle said.

"Well, I could say the same thing about you and Hope." Sylvie countered.

Kyle gave her a funny look.

"Don't give me that look. You have had that look on your face ever since you met Hope. She's your person. I may not like her, but if she makes you happy, then I say go for it. Just be careful." Sylvie said.

"Thanks." Kyle replied.

After getting closure with each other, they headed back inside the house.

"Hope, can I talk to you outside?" Sylvie asked.

"Sure." Hope said as she got up.

The two women headed outside to talk.

"Hope, I want you to listen to me and listen to me carefully because I'm only going to say this once." Sylvie said.

"Alright." Hope answered.

"I trusted you when you came to Chicago. I believed in you and the second I turned around for one second, you betrayed me and the trust I had in you. I don't care that you were in an abusive relationship. You stole from my friend, my friend who tried to warn me about you and I should have listened to her. You have this attitude as if you are better than everyone. You even flirted with Kyle right in front of me. Why? Why did you do that? Why did you do any of it?" Sylvie asked.

"I don't know. I guess because I was jealous of you. You have this perfect life. A mom, dad, and brother who loves you. I envied you ever since we were kids. My parents couldn't be bothered with taking care of me. They were always working but you, you have this family who actually cares and loves you. I guess I was just jealous about the fact that you somehow managed to get out of this small town and actually move to Chicago like you have always wanted to do. I wanted to be you." Hope explained.

"But you're not me. Yes, I have a very loving and caring family but my life isn't perfect. Do you remember the first time we met?" Sylvie asked.

"Yeah, we were about six or seven. Why?" Sylvie asked.

"Think about that. You knew my brother before you knew me. Why is that?" Sylvie asked.

Hope thought about that for a minute.

"I don't know." Hope said.

"It's because I was in foster homes before my parents adopted me. So before you say that I have a perfect life, take a step back. I do forgive you, but I can never trust you again. I've given you chance after chance and you prove me wrong every time." Sylvie said.

"I know and I'm sorry." Hope said.

"I forgive you but like I said, I can never trust you again." Sylvie said.

They talked about what led Hope down her dark path and how she could betray Sylvie's trust like she did and afterwards, they made amends, with Sylvie and Hope both agreeing that if they see each other, they will say hi but that's it.

"So, we're good?" Hope asked.

"We're good. One more thing, before you go. If you like Kyle and want to be with him, tell him. Don't let him go." Sylvie said.

Hope smiled.

"Thank you." Hope whispered.

Sylvie and Hope walked back inside. Although it was a bit awkward for everyone, Sylvie had to put her past behind her and focus on only her family and her friends, along with her future. She needed the closure between her and Kyle and between her and Hope if she was going to move on. After Hope and Kyle left,  
Evan went upstairs to bed, while Matt and Sylvie stayed up a little longer.


	5. Farm Life

Hey everyone, thank you all for the reviews! Please continue to give me reviews and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

CHAPTER 5

Matt and Sylvie were sitting on the couch in the living room. Evan had gone to bed and left them alone in the living room.

"So, how did everything go?" Matt asked.

Sylvie released the breath that she didn't even realize she had been holding.

"Good. I mean, it wasn't easy, but I had to do it." Sylvie said.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did you and Kyle talk about?" Matt asked.

"Well, he said he missed me and wanted me back. Maybe not in those exact words, but that's what he said." Sylvie giggled.

Matt chuckled.

"What did you tell him?" Matt questioned.

"I told him that I had moved on with my life and that I was happy. I told him to go after Hope because I saw the way he looks at her. It's that look someone

has when they are in love with someone. His face lights up when Hope is around. That's pretty much it." Sylvie said.

"What about Hope?" Matt asked.

"I told her that I forgive her but that I can never trust her again. We agreed that she and I are on good terms as of right now but she knows that I can't trust her." Sylvie explained.

"How do you feel about it all?" Matt questioned.

"Better now that it's over and you're here." Sylvie softly whispered.

Matt stared at Sylvie.

"What? What's wrong?" she whispered.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about movie night at 51." Matt laughed.

"Yeah, that didn't really go as planned. We kept getting call after call." Sylvie giggled.

"That day felt like it would never end." Matt said as Sylvie stood up.

She walked over to the TV, turned it on, and then grabbed the remote control.

"Hope you don't mind." Sylvie said as she walked back over to the couch and sat down.

"Of course not. Anything good on?" Matt asked.

Sylvie handed him the remote control.

"I don't know. Why don't you look and see?" Sylvie teased.

Sylvie got up again.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked.

"To make popcorn." Sylvie laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be back."

Sylvie went to the kitchen to make a bowl of popcorn.

"Ouch!" Sylvie yelled.

Matt jumped up and walked quickly into the kitchen where he heard Sylvie yelled.

"Everything ok in here?" Matt asked.

"Yeah...I just burned my finger on the popcorn bag." Sylvie said as she kept blowing on her finger.

She knew exactly what she needed to do for the burn but after a few seconds, it stopped hurting. Matt chuckled. Sylvie's paramedic skills were useful in situations like this and she couldn't help herself.

"I guess you don't need my help." Matt teased.

Sylvie playfully hit him.

"Can you grab me a bowl from that top cabinet over there?" Sylvie pointed to the cabinet.

Matt walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a bowl. The bowl looked like a child had painted it. Sylvie laughed when she saw the bowl that Matt had grabbed. She forgot that her mother had dishes that she and her brother made when they were younger.

"What? Did I grab the wrong bowl?" Matt smirked.

"No, I just forgot my mom had these." Sylvie giggled.

Matt looked at the bowl and then gave her a look.

"What? When Evan and I were younger, we would go to day camp and do pottery. She kept every single bowl, cup, plate, everything that we made." Sylvie smiled.

There was that smile that Matt loved so much. It was weird not being at work on calls but Matt wouldn't have it any other way. While Sylvie was outside talking to Kyle, Boden called for an update and Matt reassured Boden that as long as Sylvie was in Fowlerton, he would be too.

"So, Boden called. I gave him an update on your dad." Matt said.

"Thanks." Sylvie replied.

"So, how did your mom write you a letter that told you that your dad had a heart attack and get it too you in time?" Matt curiously asked.

"Oh, my mom immediately wrote me the day it happened and had it expedited to me over night. Plus, I had called her that night to talk to her and she told me but she said she wrote me a letter. My mom isn't big on phone calls." Sylvie laughed.

"Well, either way, I'm just glad you found out and was able to get here." Matt said.

"With help from you." Sylvie giggled.

Matt moved closer to Sylvie. Thoughts rushed through Sylvie's mind. She wanted more than anything to kiss him right now, but she knew that if she did, it would be because of the events that have happened and she didn't want that. He also wanted to kiss her but backed away.

"So, before we go to the hospital tomorrow, do you think you can give me a tour of the place?" Matt teased.

"I'd like that. I should try to clean the place up a bit while I'm here." Sylvie said.

"I'll help." Matt insisted.

"In that case, do you wanna help me feed the horses before we go to bed?" Sylvie asked.

"Sure." Matt said.

Sylvie grabbed a store bag and filled it with some apples, carrots, and pasture grass before going outside to the barn with Matt. In the barn, there was a hay pile and some grains that were in a bag.

"Hey, can grab that hay stack for me and the grains?" Sylvie asked.

"Sure." Matt answered and did what Sylvie asked.

Matt followed Sylvie to the first stall. Inside the stall was a beautiful brown horse with a black tail and mane.

"So this is Thunder. He is about seven or eight years old. We found him during a thunder storm. His mom had been killed, so my parents took him in and he's been our horse ever since." Sylvie smiled as she fed Thunder.

"He's beautiful." Matt said.

"He is." Sylvie smiled.

After feeding Thunder, Sylvie walked over to the next stall.

"This is Stormy, Thunder's sister." Sylvie smiled.

"I take it you found Thunder and Stormy together." Matt pointed out.

"We found Stormy a few hours after Thunder. We think Stormy is about nine but we aren't for sure." Sylvie explained.

Stormy looked like Thunder, but was a bit smaller. After feeding Stormy, they walked over to the next stall where Matt saw a beautiful black horse.

"This is Annie. She's about ten years old and she's the sweetest horse you will ever meet." Sylvie smiled a big smile.

Every time Matt and Sylvie walked by the horses and she smiled, Matt noticed how big her smile got. She loved these horses. They fed Annie and then went to the final stall.

"This is my baby, Prince. I've had him the longest. He's sixteen." Sylvie smiled.

"So, did you name all the horses?" Matt asked.

"I named Thunder and Annie. Evan named Prince and Stormy." Sylvie said.

Prince was brown with a blondish mane and tail. That was Sylvie's pride and joy.

"You should see your face whenever you are around these horses." Matt grinned.

"I love them. We have raised horses since I can..." Sylvie trailed off.

Matt sat down the hay and bag of grains. He took the bag of apples and carrots from Sylvie's hand and placed the bag beside of the grains. He took her hand in his and pulled her close into a hug. She returned his hug and took in the scent of his cologne while he took in the scent of her perfume. After a few minutes of hugging, they pulled away.

"I don't know how to thank you for everything." Sylvie said.

"You don't have to thank me." Matt said.

"I feel like I do." Sylvie sighed.

"Look at me. You don't have to thank me. Ok." Matt gave her a look.

It's that look right there that made her go weak in the knees every time. They left the barn and went back into the house. Sylvie showed Matt the guest room where he would be staying.

"So that room is my parent's room, this one is Evan's, this room is mine, and your room is right there. If you need anything, there's a door that connects your room to my room, so just knock. Oh, uh, we have two bathrooms. One right there beside of Evan's room and one downstairs leading to the den." Sylvie said.

Matt's thoughts started to run wild at the thought of adjoining rooms. Matt quickly snapped out of his thoughts.

"I'll see you in the morning." Sylvie grinned and then walked into her childhood bedroom and closed the door.

Matt walked into the guest room and closed the door. In her room, Sylvie's phone rang.

"Hello?" Sylvie asked.

"Alright, so Boden told all of us that you and Casey went to Fowlerton. Spill." Stella said.

Sylvie giggled. She knew exactly what Stella meant.

"Well, when we got here, there were two people that I was less than happy about seeing." Sylvie told Stella.

"You don't mean Hope and Kyle, do you?" Stella asked.

"Yep. It was awkward." Sylvie replied.

"What happened?" Stella asked.

"Kyle wanted to get back together but I told him that I had moved on with my life. That and the fact I told him to move on with Hope." Sylvie explained.

"You did what?" Stella questioned.

"You heard me. Stell, if you saw how Kyle looks at Hope, you would get what I'm saying." Sylvie stated.

"You mean the way Kyle looks at Hope is how Casey looks at you? Yeah, I get it." Stella teased.

Stella wasn't lying about that, but Stella threw Sylvie for a loop.

"So, when are you going to tell Casey how you feel?" Stella asked.

"What? It's not like that." Sylvie rambled.

"Let's see, he takes you to your hometown. He decided to stay with you until you come home and he's staying with you at your parent's house." Stella stated.

"He's just being nice. That's who Casey is." Sylvie retorted.

"Keep telling yourself that." Stella chuckled.

"Alright, so tell me. What's been going on at 51?" Sylvie asked.

"The power went out again and this time, it took a cell tower and transformer out. The phone company was able to fix the cell tower but the power is still out. I'm at Kelly's place right now. We are still working at 51, but we have to communicate by text messages and pages. I'm telling ya, this feels like the 90s all over again. I forgot to ask, how is your dad doing?" Stella joked.

"He had to have open heart surgery but when I left the hospital, he was recovering well. They want to keep him for two weeks, so I may come back after a week. It all depends on how my dad is doing. Thanks for asking." Sylvie explained.

Stella and Sylvie continued to chat for a little bit longer until Stella saw that Kelly was talking on his phone.

"How's Fowlerton?" Kelly said.

He didn't realize that Stella overheard him on the phone with Casey.

"Just in case you were wondering, Kelly's on the phone with Casey as we speak." Stella smirked.

"Thanks for the head's up. I'm gonna go. I'll talk to you later." Sylvie said.

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Meanwhile, Kelly was talking to Matt on the phone.

"Fowlerton's alright. Sylvie's parents have a barn of four horses. Apparently, her parents own a farm. It's actually pretty cool out here." Matt said.

"From the way Brett talks, it sounds like a horrible place." Kelly replied.

"I know but I think there's more to her than she let's on. I mean, we know her, but seeing her with her brother and how she lights up around the horses, it's like a whole different person." Matt grinned.

"Dude, you've got it bad for Brett." Kelly teased.

Kelly had walked back into his bedroom but Stella couldn't help but overhear Kelly's side of the conversation.

"It's not like that. We're just friends and she's going through a hard time." Matt explained.

"Keep telling yourself that." Kelly said.

Matt heard Sylvie in the hallway.

"Do me a favor and keep me updated on what's going on." Matt said.

Kelly knew that Matt wanted to get off the phone. They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Matt opened his door and noticed that Sylvie's bedroom door was cracked opened enough to see that she wasn't in there. He walked downstairs and saw that the front door was opened. He walked outside and saw Sylvie wrapped up in a fleece blanket, sitting on the porch swing. The scene reminded him of her story and he walked over to her and sat down beside of her.


	6. Breakfast, Horse Riding, and Dinner

Thank you everyone for the reviews! Please continue to comment and leave reviews. I'm loving this story and I will be incorporating Firehouse 51 and the other characters from Chicago Fire in later chapters. I'm trying to build a slow burn between Sylvie and Matt and I know this story might seem to be dragging, but it's getting better. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter :)

CHAPTER 6

"So, this is where you disappeared too, huh?" Matt asked.

"Yeah. I needed to clear my head." Sylvie sighed.

"I can leave you alone if you want me too." Matt said.

"You don't have to leave." Sylvie smiled.

Matt returned the smile.

"In that case, I'll stay." Matt flashed a half smile.

The coolness of the breeze swept across their faces. The wind blew through the trees and even though it was Spring, the nights were still very cool. Sylvie was deep in thought when Matt interupted her.

"So, is this what you were telling me that you did when you were younger?" Matt asked.

"Yeah. I don't know why but there is something about a cool Spring night after it rains that makes it feel so peaceful." Sylvie said.

She began shivering and wrapped herself up some more with the blanket.

"You're freezing." Matt said.

"I'm ok. Really." Sylvie replied.

Something was on her mind but Matt didn't want to push the subject. They sat on the porch swing in silence for a little while until Sylvie started to move her foot that was going numb because she sat on it too long.

"You ok?" Matt curiously asked.

"My foot went to sleep." Sylvie complained with a slight chuckle.

"Do you mind?" Matt asked.

"Sure." Sylvie chuckled.

"Just place both of your legs on my lap and I'll massage your feet." Matt grinned.

Sylvie did as she was told as Matt said and placed her legs on his lap. She felt a cramp go up her legs, making it hurt a little bit.

"Stupid leg cramps." Sylvie blurted.

"I hate it when that happens." Matt joked.

Sylvie laughed.

"Me too. I usually soak in Epsom salt while in the bath after work." Sylvie sighed.

Matt could feel Sylvie relaxing as he massaged her feet. She started to fall asleep.

"Hey sleepy, maybe you should go upstairs to bed." Matt chuckled.

Sylvie was almost asleep but she was also groggy.

"Take me to bed." Sylvie laughed.

Matt chuckled.

"Wait, that didn't sound right." Sylvie's face turned red.

"Can you stand up?" Matt asked.

Sylvie positioned herself and tried to stand up. She was really tired.

"I can but I need some help. I'm just really tired I'm used to falling asleep by now." Sylvie said.

Sylvie used Matt to hold onto and they walked upstairs to their rooms. Sylvie walked into her room and thanked Matt for helping her. Matt walked into his room and smiled. The next morning, Sylvie was making breakfast.

"Hey sis, I'm gonna go check on mom and dad at the hospital. Think you could feed the horses before you and Matt come to the hospital?" Evan asked as he placed his empty bowl in the sink.

Evan decided to eat a bowl of cereal instead of the breakfast that Sylvie was cooking.

"Uh, yeah. Tell mom and dad that I'll be there after I clean up a bit. I know how mom hates a dirty house." Sylvie chuckled.

"I will. I'm gonna take her to get something to eat and get her out of the hospital for a while. Love you." Evan said as he gave Sylvie a quick hug and then left.

Matt was upstairs taking a shower. Matt replayed the image in his head of Sylvie on the porch swing with her legs in his lap. He also heard Sylvie get up very early this morning. Matt wasn't entirely sure, but he thought it was around 6:00 a.m. He finished showering and got dressed. He walked back into his room, placed his duffel bag on the floor by the night stand, put his shoes on, and headed downstairs. He could smell the scent of the food that Sylvie was making.

"Smells great in here." Matt smiled.

"Thanks. I've already made some fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, biscuits, and sausage. I'm making pancakes, gravy, and bacon right now. I'm gonna bring my dad some fruits and veggies since he just had surgery. Evan is suppose to take mom out for breakfast." Sylvie explained.

Matt stood there looking a bit nervous. Sylvie gave him a look and chuckled.

"Grab a plate off the table and get some food before it gets cold." Sylvie said as she placed the finished pancakes on a plate.

Sylvie poured the gravy into an empty bowl and placed the bacon on a plate and the placed the pancakes, gravy, and bacon on the table. After Matt had gotten a plate full of food, he grabbed a fork sitting beside the stack of plates on table and started eating breakfast. Sylvie finally sat down and did the same thing. After they were finished eating breakfast, Sylvie placed the leftover food in containers and then placed them in the refrigerator.

"I forgot how great of a cook you are." Matt admitted.

Sylvie was taken aback. Did she hear Matt correctly? He actually noticed her cooking when it was her turn to cook.

"I didn't think you noticed." Sylvie said.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I noticed. It's hard not to notice the best cook in the whole house." Matt teased.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Sylvie grinned.

Sylvie grabbed some fresh apples and carrots from the refrigerator and Matt helped her out. They headed to the barn and fed all the horses and cleaned up the stalls. Sylvie was cracking up watching Matt clean the stalls, but if it made her laugh, he would do it a million times. When they were finished cleaning out the stalls, Sylvie brought each horse out one by one and brushed them. Matt helped with the brushing of the horses and after they were finished, they walked back inside, grabbed their jackets, Sylvie grabbed her purse, and before leaving, she made sure all the doors were locked. They headed to the hospital and after they arrived, Sylvie went to see her dad. Matt stayed back in the waiting room but was surprised when he saw Sylvie come back so fast.

"Matthew Casey, get your butt over here." Sylvie demanded with a laugh.

Matt just laughed. He couldn't help it. Matt followed Sylvie back to her dad's hospital room.

"Dad, this is Captain Matt Casey. He's my coworker at Firehouse 51. He's the one that I told you about." Sylvie said.

Sylvie told her dad about Matt but Matt was curious to know exactly what she said about him. He wasn't complaining but he was curious.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Patrick, Sylvie's dad. Sylvie told me that you brought her here. Thank you." Patrick said.

"No need to thank me. Sylvie is a very good friend and all of us at 51 are like family. We do whatever we can to help each other out." Matt said.

"I hope I'm not crossing a line, but Sylvie had mentioned that you lost your apartment to a fire. How's everything going?" Patrick asked.

Matt gave Sylvie a look. He knew she had a big heart, but he wasn't sure where this conversation was going.

"Everything is going good. Uh, one of our coworkers, Kelly Severide, is letting me stay at his place until I find something." Matt answered.

"That's good." Patrick answered.

Before anyone could say anything, one of Patrick's doctors had came in to check on him. Sylvie and Matt stepped outside of the room.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to say anything about that. I was trying to explain how all of us are like family." Sylvie babbled.

Matt chuckled.

"Look at me, it's ok. Really." Matt softly said.

Sylvie looked at Matt and smiled.

"By the way, I wanna take you out to dinner tonight. On me. No arguments." Matt whispered.

"Well, I can't argue with that." Sylvie smiled.

The doctor came out of the hospital room and Sylvie and Matt walked back in and visited with Patrick for a while. Evan and Elaine returned and everyone got to catch up with each other. Matt saw how Sylvie lit up around her family but also understood why she didn't like the town of Fowlerton. Matt stepped out of the room to go to the bathroom down the hall and he heard several nurses and doctors gossip about Sylvie and how it had to take her father having a heart attack for her to come back home. Matt walked back into Patrick's hospital room where Sylvie, her brother, and her mom were talking to her father. They all continued to chat for a while until Sylvie and Matt decided to leave. Evan left as well to go pick up his girlfriend, Amelia, who was just getting off of work at a law firm. When Matt and Sylvie got into the truck, Matt looked at Sylvie.

"Uh, when I went down the hall to use the restroom, I overheard a lot of the doctors and nurses talking about you." Matt stated.

"Let me guess. They were saying things like, 'it took something big like this for her to come back home' or 'it didn't take her long to find a new boyfriend after having another failed engagement' or my favorite one, 'who would want to marry Sylvie Brett because she's a user." Sylvie smirked.

Matt could see the hurt in her eyes.

"That pretty much sums it up." Matt answered.

"This is why I hate coming to Fowlerton. Every single time I come home, even if it's for a weekend visit, I get talked about like I'm some sort of disease. Everyone here in this town knows everyone and their business. For me, living in Chicago, I don't have that problem. No one except you and the guys at 51 really know me. I love my parents but the people in this town want to talk about how I abandoned my family to go chase a dream. Every time I come back here, I always get asked if Chicago was too fast pace for me or if I have to find another job because no one in Chicago wants me. I hate Fowlerton and I hate the people here. The only ones I care about are my family." Sylvie cried out.

Matt pulled her into a hug and then wiped away her tears.

"Look at me. All of those people are just jealous that you finally got out of this small town and actually made a name for yourself. All of those people are just jealous that you actually had the guts to do what they couldn't do. You, Sylvie Brett, are truly amazing and any man would be lucky to marry you someday and you are beautiful, both inside and out. I know you couldn't hate anyone, but you do dislike certain people and that's alright. You're human." Matt softly told her.

Sylvie pulled him into another hug and then pulled away.

"Ok, maybe I don't hate the people, but they do annoy me with the way they act. Can we get out of here?" Sylvie asked with a smile.

Matt turned the truck on and drove them back to her parent's house. After they got there, Sylvie and Matt went to the barn where the horses were.

"Riding helped clear my mind when I was younger. I haven't been on a horse since I was sixteen." Sylvie said.

Matt, curious to know why, asked.

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"Believe it or not, I used to be in equestrian competitions when I was a teenager and I was really good at it. I was offered a job after high school but I new that I didn't want to make it a job. It was a hobby and loved it but riding horses just wasn't my passion. I didn't want to go to med school but I did want to save lives, so I went to the Academy and now, I'm a paramedic." Sylvie smiled.

"You're gonna have to show me because I honestly find it hard to believe that you had done that." Matt laughed.

"Alright hot shot. I'll be back." Sylvie said as she went inside the house.

After a few minutes, she came back and was dressed in an equestrian outfit from head to toe.

"You wanted to see me ride, well don't say I didn't tell ya." Sylvie smirked with a smile.

Sylvie opened up Annie's stall and saddled up the horse and then rode the horse. Matt followed behind and watched as Sylvie looked like a natural. Sylvie forgot how great riding a horse felt. After several minutes, Sylvie came back to the barn and put the horse back into her stall. Afterwards, she and Matt went back inside and watched a movie.

"Alright, well, you definitely proved me wrong, Sylvie Brett." Matt teased.

"Good because it's always hard to prove Matt Casey wrong." Sylvie playfully hit Matt with a couch pillow.

Matt laughed.

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Matt playfully teased.

He grabbed the other couch pillow and playfully hit Sylvie.

"You did not just do that." Sylvie joked.

Matt playfully hit her again and the next thing that either of them knew, they were playfully hitting each other and somehow, Matt started tickling Sylvie, which led to Sylvie laughing so hard, she had to go to the bathroom. When she came back from the bathroom, she playfully hit him again and they went back to playfully fighting with each other. They went on like that for about thirty minutes before they finally stopped. They were out of breath from laughing.

"There's that smile." Matt softly told Sylvie.

Matt was on top of Sylvie, breathing heavily from their play fight. Sylvie blushed. Her face was turning red from Matt's compliment.

"Well, you took my mind off of everything." Sylvie said.

Matt quickly raised up and sat up on the couch. Sylvie repositioned herself as well and they were now sitting next to each other.

"I need to get this house cleaned before mom and dad come home. Would you mind helping me?" Sylvie asked.

"What do you need done? It looks clean to me." Matt chuckled.

"Well, I'm gonna wash laundry for my parents. I need to wash the dishes, take the trash out, and just make sure everything is dusted. Evan is with Amelia

"I think I can help you with that." Matt teased.

Sylvie and Matt got up and Sylvie went upstairs to get the hamper in the bathroom full of dirty laundry and brought it downstairs to the laundry room that was between the kitchen and living room. Matt washed the dishes and took the trash out for Sylvie. After she got the laundry started, Sylvie started sweeping the hardwood floors in the house. Sylvie told Matt where the mop was and he filled the mop bucket and mopped behind Sylvie. The only problem is that Matt mopped him and Sylvie into a corner where they were forced to stay in Sylvie's bedroom until the floors dried.

"I can't believe you mopped us into a corner." Sylvie laughed.

"Yeah, now you know why I never mop the floors at the house." Matt retorted with a laugh.

They both laughed.

"Is that why you always have Gallo and Ritter mop the floors?" Sylvie asked.

"Shh...it's my secret. Don't say anything." Matt joked.

"Scouts honor." Sylvie joked.

They laughed some more and Matt looked at the pictures on Sylvie's walls. Her bedroom was painted in a warm tan or beige color on the top of the walls with a dark maroon red looking color painted on the bottom. Her bedroom was warm and inviting and was filled with pictures of Sylvie from the time she was adopted all the way up until she graduated high school and went to the Academy to become a paramedic.

"Is this you?" Matt asked as he saw a picture in a picture frame.

It was a picture of Sylvie playing Volleyball in high school.

"Uh, yeah. I played volleyball in high school." Sylvie replied.

"I never would have guessed." Matt said.

Matt continued to look around and saw pictures of Sylvie with Harrison, which didn't sit well with Matt as he wanted to be the one in those pictures with her but he hid that from her. He saw pictures of her and Hope and there was one that really stood out to him. It was Sylvie wearing a beautiful midnight blue dress with small rhinestones.

"When did you take this picture?" Matt asked.

"Oh, that one? I had that taken a few weeks ago. I was helping a friend with a photoshoot for her art show in New York." Sylvie admitted.

"You look amazing." Matt smiled.

Sylvie blushed but smiled. Matt walked over to where Sylvie was standing.

"I think the floor is dry." Matt whispered.

Sylvie went over and checked the floor. It was dry and they headed downstairs. Matt put the mop bucket up and rang the mop out.

"Just put the mop outside on the porch to dry." Sylvie called from the laundry room.

Sylvie was putting the clothes in the dryer and started the dryer. She put a new load of laundry in the washer and turned the washer on and then walked over to the couch and sat down. Matt joined her and it didn't take long for Sylvie to fall asleep with her head on Matt's shoulder. He fell asleep shortly after.  
They took a long nap and by the time they woke up, it was about 5:00 p.m. Matt told Sylvie to go get ready for dinner, since he told her that he was taking her to dinner. He followed Sylvie upstairs to change clothes for dinner.


	7. Going Back To Chicago

Thank you all for the reviews! Please continue to give feedback and reviews! I'm having a bit of writer's block and can't seem to iron out how I want this story to go but it's far from over. The next chapter or so will focus on the people at Firehouse 51, Sylvie and Matt being back in Chicago, a girl's night with Stella, Foster, and Brett, and even a guy's night out. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 7

Matt was getting ready in his room when he heard Sylvie in her room on the phone with Stella. He couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"He's what?" Stella asked over the phone to Sylvie.

"He said he wanted to take me to dinner. The only problem is there are only two restaurants in this town and both are diners." Sylvie sighed.

"Girl, go get dressed up. I don't care if he takes you to a freaking diner, you are going out on a date with Matt Casey and it's about time." Stella said.

"It's not a date." Sylvie retorted.

"Keep telling yourself that." Stella said.

"He didn't say it was a date." Sylvie smirked.

Matt overheard that part and tried so hard not to laugh. He had inadvertantly asked out Sylvie on a date without actually asking her out. He decided to call Kelly.

"Hey, I have a problem." Matt told Kelly over the phone.

"Dude, what's going on?" Kelly asked.

"I may have asked Brett out on a date without actually asking her out." Matt said.

"What did you tell her?" Kelly asked.

"I told her to let me take her out to dinner." Matt said.

"That doesn't necessarily mean that you asked her out. Did you want to ask her out?" Kelly asked.

"Well, yeah. That was the whole point of me taking her out to dinner." Matt said.

Kelly chuckled.

"Dude, take her to a restaurant, maybe even a movie or something and don't tell her it's a date until the end of the night." Kelly suggested.

As Matt and Kelly continued to talk on the phone, so did Sylvie and Stella.

"Girl, I'm telling you. If he suggested that he take you out to dinner, it's a date." Stella told Sylvie.

"Alright, but I'm not wearing a dress. The people here in Fowlerton are already talking about me as it is. I don't wanna give them another reason to say something." Sylvie said.

"Did you pack those dark navy blue jeans and that black lace dress shirt that you wear a lot?" Stella asked.

"Yeah." Sylvie answered.

"Wear that!" Stella said.

Back in Matt's room, he and Kelly were still talking.

"Brett said something about going home at the end of the week after making sure her dad is alright. How's Boden and the guys?" Matt asked.

"Well, we finally got the power back on and we've been going on call after call, but it beats staying inside the house all day." Kelly said.

"That's good." Matt said.

"Yeah but Grissom has been breathing down Boden's neck about me making Captain and having me transferred to another house." Kelly said.

"Is that what you want?" Matt asked.

"I'm happy being Lieutenant. Grissom doesn't want me under Boden's command because he doesn't like Boden." Kelly said.

Matt and Kelly continued to talk for a few minutes before hanging up. Sylvie was still talking to Stella.

"Alright, so I have those jeans and the shirt on. I'm doing my makeup but should I wear my hair up or down?" Sylvie asked.

"Down. You always wear your hair up at work. Wear it down, maybe half up and half down." Stella said.

"Stell, how's Foster?" Sylvie asked.

"She misses you. Chout is good but he's no Sylvie Brett." Stella said.

"I'll call her later. When I get back, we need a girl's night out." Sylvie said.

"You got it." Stella said.

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Sylvie put on so tennis shoes and perfume and headed downstairs. She was wearing a pair of boot cut dark navy blue jeans with black tennis shoes and a black lacey dress shirt. She decided to wear her hair half up with a small hair clip holding her hair back with two pieces of hair framing her face. Matt was downstairs waiting on her. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, his work boots, and a nice navy blue polo shirt. Matt took one look at Sylvie and was blown away at how beautiful she looked. Matt rarely got too see her all dressed up. She wore casual clothes to Molly's outside of work, but she rarely got dressed up. Sylvie took in the sight of Matt looking good but then again, he always looked good.

"So, where's the best place to eat dinner around here?" Matt casually asked.

"Well, there are two diners here in Fowlerton but if you want pizza, beer, ribs, or steak, you'll have to go to the next town over in Fairmount." Sylvie said.

"Well, let's go to Fairmount then." Matt replied.

Sylvie wasn't about to argue with him on that. They walked out of the house, Sylvie locked the doors, they got in the truck, and Matt drove them to Fairmount to get dinner. It didn't take long to get there.

"So, what are you in the mood for?" Matt asked.

"As crazy as this sounds, I wouldn't mind some place like Taco Bell or McDonald's." Sylvie said.

"What about KFC for your mom and Evan? We could get a family meal for your mom and Evan and we can have Taco Bell or whatever you want." Matt suggested.

"Uh, yeah. We can get my mom and Evan dinner after we get dinner. How does Taco Bell sound? I'm in the mood to tacos." Sylvie giggled.

"Taco Bell it is." Matt said as he continued to drive down the street.

He pulled into the parking of Taco Bell and parked the car. The two of them got out and walked inside.

"Welcome to Taco Bell. What can I get you?" the cashier asked.

Matt looked at Sylvie.

"You go first." Matt said.

"I would like three crunchy tacos and two mini chicken quesadillas without chipotle and a medium Pepsi." Sylvie said as the cashier took her order.

"And I would like a steak quesadilla, two orders of the cinnabons and a medium Pepsi." Matt said.

"For here or to go?" the cashier asked.

"For here." Matt answered.

The cashier took their orders and Matt paid for the food.

"Here's your cups. Your order number is 24." the cashier said as the cashier handed Matt the receipt and cups.

Matt and Sylvie walked over to the fountain machine and got their drinks.

"Why don't you go get us a table and I'll bring the food over when they bring it out." Matt insisted.

"Alright." Sylvie sweetly told him.

Sylvie found an empty corner table with two chairs. Matt walked over to where Sylvie was sitting and sat down the tray of food.

"Have you talked to your mom?" Matt asked.

"Yeah. She said that my dad is doing really well and the doctors are happy with his prognosis, but they still want to keep him another week just to make sure everything is fine." Sylvie answered.

"That's good." Matt said.

"Mom is tired but she refuses to leave dad's side but I told them that I'm leaving on Saturday going home. I hope that's alright." Sylvie said.

"Yeah. That's fine. Have you told Boden?" Matt questioned.

"Yeah. I called him this morning. He said we could come back on Monday." Sylvie said.

"That's good. So, Severide told me that Grissom keeps asking him when is he going to go out for Captain. Severide doesn't want to be Captain or at least that is what he keeps saying but apparently Grissom doesn't like Boden for holding Severide back." Matt said.

"You're kidding. What's he going to do?" Sylvie asked.

"I don't know but something tells me that Grissom is going to target our house over some little something. Remember when Gorsh tried to take over the house?  
Well, that's sort of what Grissom is trying to do with Severide." Matt said.

"Yeah, that was pretty bad. Grissom is twice as bad." Matt said.

They continued to chat while they ate their dinner. When they were finished, they went to KFC and Sylvie bought a family meal dinner for her mom and Evan.  
Of course, Sylvie would probably eat some later but that was fine. After grabbing dinner for her mom and brother, she and Matt headed back to her parent's house. After they arrived back at the house, Sylvie opened the door and brought the food to the kitchen. Evan's car was gone, but Sylvie still yelled for him just in case his girlfriend had the car.

"Evan! Dinner!" Sylvie yelled.

"His car isn't here." Matt said.

"He sometimes let's his girlfriend borrow it." Sylvie said.

Evan wasn't home, so Sylvie made a plate for Evan and their mom and put it in the fridge. Evan must have came home while they were out because there were dishes in the sink and Evan's clothes were laying on the floor in the laundry room.

"Well, since he isn't here, what do you want to do?" Matt asked.

"I've gotta take the dry clothes out of the dryer and fold them up. I've gotta rewash the clothes in the washer because I forgot to take them out. I've gotta take..." Sylvie rambled on until Matt put one of his fingers on her mouth.

Matt chuckled.

"I'll help. I'll wash the dishes and make sure everything is put up in the kitchen. Just focus on the laundry. Oh and breathe." Matt said.

Sylvie gave Matt a hug and wasted no time in returning the hug. She nestled her head against his chest and he was enjoying the feeling of her in his arms. They heard a vehicle outside and guessed it was Evan. They heard two doors shut and voices talking as the doors opened. It was Evan and Elaine.

"Sylvie, sweetheart. Are you home?" Elaine asked.

"Yeah mom! In here!" Sylvie said as she pulled away from the hug that she and Matt were still entangled in.

Elaine made her way to the kitchen where Matt and Sylvie were.

"Hey mom. How's dad?" Sylvie asked.

"He told me to come home and get some sleep. Evan is going to stay with your father tonight." Elaine said.

Sylvie got the two plates from the fridge and placed them on the table.

"I made you and Evan a plate. Matt and I went to get you guys some dinner. I hope you don't mind." Sylvie said.

"Thanks, sis." Evan said as he began eating the food.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you, Matt." Elaine said as she also began to eat the food.

After her mom and Evan ate dinner, Evan helped his mom upstairs and helped her into the bed. She was tired from being at the hospital. After, Evan left and went back to the hospital to stay with his father. Sylvie took the rest of the clothes out of the dryer and folded them while Matt cleaned up the kitchen. After they were finished, Sylvie went to check on her mom and then came back downstairs. It was midnight and both she and Matt were a bit exhausted but were still wide awake. Sylvie turned the TV and they watched a marathon of Grey's Anatomy. Matt didn't mind because he started to secretly watched it from time to time after Gabby left.

"If I tell you something, will you promise not to laugh at me?" Matt asked.

Sylvie looked at him and smiled.

"I promise." Sylvie said.

"Well, after Gabby left me and then signed the divorce papers, I was flipping through the channels at Severide's one day, found this show, and started watching it whenever I could." Matt admitted.

Sylvie gave him a smile.

"Why would I laugh about that? I used to make Joe and Otis watch it with me but then Joe started dating Chloe and well, Otis..." Sylvie said.

"I know." Matt said as he took her hand and held it.

After a few minutes, Matt released his hand that was holding Sylvie's. She repositioned herself, bringing her legs up and sitting in a criss cross position.  
She pulled the small fleece blanket off the couch arm and placed it over her body and then placed one of the couch pillows behind her head. Matt took notice and pulled her towards him.

"Here." Matt said as he placed the pillow on his lap.

Sylvie repositioned herself and placed her head on top of the pillow that was on Matt's lap. Matt ran his hand through Sylvie's hair. It was one of her weaknesses. That always seemed to put her to sleep. Sylvie wasn't sleeping much these days because of her dad and Matt just wanted to comfort her. Sylvie loved Matt running his hand through her hair. He soon noticed that she was beginning to fall asleep.

"Hey beautiful, time for bed." Matt whispered.

Sylvie heard him call her beautiful, as if they were dating, and got up.

"You ready for bed?" Matt asked.

"Yeah." Sylvie yawn with a slight giggle.

They walked upstairs and went to their rooms and went to bed. A few days had passed and Sylvie and Matt were packing up their things to put in the truck. After, they headed to the hospital to their goodbyes.

"Sweetheart, do you have to go back?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah, dad. I do." Sylvie said.

"You can move back here. We've loved having you back." Patrick said.

Sylvie seemed annoyed and her mom could tell that Sylvie was annoyed.

"Dad, I love you, but I'm staying in Chicago. I'm not moving back here. Every time I come home, you tell me to move back here. There is nothing here for me except, you, mom, and Evan." Sylvie calmly but firmly told her dad.

Patrick knew better than to pick a fight with his daughter.

"I just want to make sure you are safe. That's all." Patrick said.

Sylvie looked at Matt and then at her dad.

"I am safe. The people I work with make sure that each of us are as safe as possible on calls. When one of us gets hurt, the whole house hurts. We are like a family there. I love you guys and I couldn't have asked for a better family, but daddy, I'm an adult. Chicago is my home. You, mom, and Evan never come and see me but I always come and see you guys. Dad, I love you, but I need to see life outside of Fowlerton." Sylvie explained to her dad.

Her dad finally gave up. Although Sylvie wasn't biologically his, she was still his daughter and must have picked up his stubbornness from him because Sylvie was definitely the most stubborn person he knew. Matt tried not to chuckle but Elaine was laughing and the next thing they knew, all of them were laughing.

"I want you to promise me that you will call as soon as you get home to Chicago. The minute you enter Chicago, you call. Promise?" Patrick said.

"Promise." Sylvie said as she gave her dad a hug.

She turned and gave her mom a hug.

"I love you, mom." Sylvie told Elaine.

"I love you, too." Elaine replied.

Sylvie then gave her brother a hug.

"Love you, sis." Evan said.

"Love you, too." Sylvie replied.

"Matt, take care of our little girl." Patrick said.

"Will do." Matt said and he and Sylvie left the hospital.

On the way back to Chicago, Matt cashed in on his one song that Sylvie said he could pick.

"Remember when you said I had one song that I could pick and I said that I would use it on the way back to Chicago? Well, I'm cashing in on that." Matt grinned.

"Yeah." Sylvie answered.

"Well, I want you to play the song, Crush by Dave Matthews Band. It's a classic." Matt told her.

With that, she played the song and the two of them jammed out to it in the truck. It was sort of Matt's way of telling her that he had more than a crush on her but he wasn't ready to admit that just yet. They made it back to Chicago and Sylvie noticed that Joe was gone. She texted him and he said that he was staying with Chloe tonight, so that meant that she had the place to herself and she wanted more than anything to have Casey stay the night but knew that it wasn't the time. Neither of them were dating each other and Sylvie wanted to take her time the next time she dates someone an Matt felt the same way. He did not want to rush into a relationship. He wanted to take his time, but Sylvie was always on his mind and was someone that he wanted to be around.


	8. Making Plans

Thank you all for the reviews! I'm having so much fun writing this story. Please continue to leave feedback and reviews! Also, check out my other Casey and Brett fanfics, Love To Burn and I'll Be. I hope you all enjoy this story and this chapter!

CHAPTER 8

"I'm so freaking glad you're back!" Emily squealed as she saw Brett back at work.

"Me too! So, how was Chout?" Sylvie asked.

"Well, I'd take him over the other guys but he's definitely no Sylvie Brett. How was Fowlerton?" Emily asked.

Sylvie and Emily were in the briefing room waiting for everyone to arrive. Sylvie had filled her in on some of what had happened while she was in Fowlerton.

"It was good seeing my parents and my brother, but to see Kyle and Hope, well, I'm just glad to put that in the past." Sylvie said.

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"Kyle told me he wanted me back, but Em, I couldn't do that again. I know he's your friend, but I just...I can't go back again. I told him to go be with Hope. Em, it was obvious that he still had feelings for me, but he also kept looking at Hope like she's the one he wants. I told Hope to go be with Kyle. We all three ended on good terms." Sylvie explained.

"You always take the high road and I'm proud of you. So what happened with you and Casey?" Emily asked.

Before Sylvie could answer, everyone starting filing in the room, one by one. First Matt, then Kelly, and so on and so on. Finally, Chief Boden came in.

"Before we get started, I would like to welcome back Sylvie Brett and Matt Casey. We have missed you guys. Second, headquarters is finally replacing the generator that went out during the storm. We should see the technicians in here in the next few weeks. Don't forget that we have our annual Family Game Night coming up..." Boden said before being interupted by the dispatcher.

"AMBULANCE 61. TRUCK 81. SQUAD 3. ENGINE 51. BATTALION CHIEF 25. MULTIPLE VEHICLE ACCIDENT. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER EXRESSWAY." the dispatcher said.

Everyone got up and hurried out the door to their respective trucks. Chief Boden left first, followed by Truck 81, Squad 3, Engine 51, and lastly, Ambulance 61. When they all arrived on scene, Chief Boden started giving orders.

"Brett. Foster. Set up triage over there. Casey, I need you and Truck to try and get as many victims as you can, out of the car. Severide, you and Squad check for any trapped victims. Herrmann, be ready with the water cannons in case we need them. Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" Boden yelled.

"We need the jaws over here!" Kelly yelled as he pointed to a car with trapped victims.

There was a victim who had blood all over their face.

"Sir, I'm gonna need you to sit down for me. My name is Sylvie and this is Emily. We are paramedics with Chicago Fire. Can you tell me your name?" Sylvie asked.

"Andrew." Andrew replied.

"Ok, Andrew. How many fingers am I holding up?" Sylvie asked.

Andrew looked for a minute.

"Two, no three." Andrew said.

"Ok. Can you follow my finger?" Sylvie asked.

Andrew did as Sylvie instructed before losing consciousness. Emily checked his breathing.

"We need to intubate!" Emily said.

Sylvie intubated the patient and she and Foster got the patient into the ambulance.

"AMBO 61 TO MAIN. WE NEED ANOTHER AMBO TO THE SCENE! WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO CHICAGO MED" Sylvie called out on the radio.

"MAIN TO AMBULANCE 61. SENDING ANOTHER AMBULANCE TO SCENE." the dispatcher said.

Sylvie got in the ambulance and drove to Chicago Med.

"Brett, he's starting to seize!" Emily yelled.

"We are two minutes out!" Sylvie yelled back.

Emily did as she was trained to do with a seizing patient. Within two minutes, they had arrived at the hospital.

"What do we have?" Maggie asked as she rushed over to Sylvie and Emily.

"Possible 50 year old male. He seized on the way here. Foster got him stabled but it's not good!" Sylvie said.

"Alright, let's him in there!" Maggie said as they moved Andrew to one of the opened ER rooms.

"His name is Andrew." Emily said.

After the doctors and nurses transferred Andrew to the hospital bed, Sylvie and Emily took the gurney back to the ambulance. Sylvie then went to the nurse behind the Nurse's Station and told her what they needed for the ambulance to restock. Usually, the hospital gave them a box with everything that they needed and then it was up to Sylvie and Emily to restock the ambulance after they got the supplies. Meanwhile, back on the scene of the crash, Matt and the others were working to get a family out of a vehicle that they were trapped in.

"Herrmann, I need the water cannon over here!" Casey yelled as one of the cars were on fire.

Herrmann and Ritter got the water cannons on the cars that were on fire.

"Chief, we need a medevac!" Casey yelled over the radio.

"Copy that!" Boden said as he called for a medevac hellicopter.

"We need the jaws!" Kelly yelled.

"Cruz, over here!" Casey yelled.

Everyone was working hard to get the people out of the trapped vehicle. They finally got everyone out of the vehicle. One person had to be transported by a medevac helicopter and the rest by ambulance. After making sure there were no more victims in all the vehicles and making sure the scene was clear of any possible victims, they all stayed to clean up the accident. It took maybe two hours to clean everything up due to the severity of the accident, and then they all headed back to 51 when they were done. Sylvie and Brett were already back at the firehouse when everyone came back. Matt saw Sylvie and Emily talking but decided not to interrupt them. Matt was walking to his office when Kelly stopped him.

"Casey, when are you going to ask her out?" Kelly teased.

"It's not like that. We're just friends." Matt answered.

"Keep telling yourself that." Kelly smirked.

"We are friends." Matt said with a slight chuckle.

Kelly just shook his head.

"Alright, listen to me. The last time you were ever this nervous about anyone was...well...no one." Kelly stammered.

They were now inside Matt's office.

"Alright, listen. Ask her out or better yet, Family Game Night here is coming up. You know that the only families that will be here will be Herrmann and Cindy with their kids and Boden and Donna with Terrance. So, if she gets stuck working some kind of game, maybe you could make it so you guys work it together. Just saying." Kelly said.

Matt gave him a look.

"Come on, just ask her out or at least ask her to get a drink at Molly's after shift tonight. What could it hurt?" Kelly continued to nudge.

Kelly left Matt to think about what he was saying. Matt decided to ask Sylvie out, but not right now. They had just got back to Chicago and he knew that she would want to spend time with her friends. A few hours past and they were halfway through their shift when Matt ran into Sylvie in the hallway.

"Hey, uh, how's your dad?" Matt nervously asked.

"He's doing good. The doctors are thinking about sending him home on Wednesday, which is a few days shy of what they originally had said." Sylvie said with a smile.

"That's good. So uh, I was wondering if you have figured out which game you are gonna be working for Family Game Night." Matt nervously said.

"Probably Uno. You know, I've beaten Joe, Tony, and Capp dozens of time." Sylvie said.

"If it's alright with you, I'll help you work the Uno game. After all, I've gotta see how spotless your reputation is." Matt laughed.

"Just ask them how many times I have beat them." Sylvie laughed.

Matt had no doubt that she could do that. They chatted for a few more minutes and then she headed to the common room. Kelly saw Matt and walked over to his office. He knocked on the door.

"Hey man, uh, Stella just told me that she, Brett, and Foster are having a Girl's Night Out at Molly's. I was thinking we could do a Guy's Night Out at Molly's as well. I mean, we already hang out at Molly's after shift as it is." Kelly suggested.

"What did Stella say about that?" Matt asked.

"She knows that we go to Molly's. Brett has been through a lot and just wants to get her mind off of everything that's going on. They won't think nothing of it and we can get Cruz and Mouch to come, along with Ritter and Gallo. We sit at the bar like we always do while they go and sit at one of the tables. They won't think nothing of it." Kelly said.

Matt gave up trying to argue with Kelly because he knew that Kelly was right.

"Alright but we can't make it too obvious. We need to show up casually as if we had no idea that they were gonna be there and Kidd does not find out about this. I don't care if she knows you are there but she doesn't need to know about the rest of us. Got it." Matt said.

"Alright. Fine, but you better show up. I'll text you when she tells me when they are going. She said something about making final plans with them but you know how women are." Kelly joked.

Matt agreed and Kelly left. Kelly was going to do whatever it took to see that his best friend was happy again. Although he and Gabby were friends, Kelly saw how bad Matt was hurting after she left. He saw the pain that Matt was in and it's been close to a year since Gabby left. Sure, Gabby came back in for a week due to the charity that she is working for because they held a gala to raise money, but Kelly knew Matt missed having someone to go home too. Kelly, in a way, knew Matt better than Matt knew himself. Then again, the same could be said for Kelly. Matt knew Kelly better than Kelly knew himself as well, which is why they were best friends. Back in the common room, Emily and Stella were talking to Sylvie.

"Alright, so here's the thing. Kelly wants to go to Molly's the same night we have our Girl's Night Out. So, we can still go to Molly's but he's gonna be at the bar. I told Herrmann to put him to work." Stella joked.

"That would be interesting, no, entertaining to watch." Emily chimed in.

They laughed.

"Yeah, the women would love that." Stella joked.

"So tell me, is Herrmann planning on doing karaoke night again?" Sylvie asked.

"Yep. Apparently drunk people singing to a song makes for a great night, especially with the college students." Stella said.

"So, when are we doing this Girl's Night. I'm just curious so that we don't keep changing it." Sylvie commented.

"Uh, how about after shift? You know we work twenty four hours on and twenty four off, so it works out." Stella noted.

"I'm in. After dealing with Chout all week, I need a night with my girls." Emily said.

"Me too. I'm in." Sylvie smiled.

"Alright. So, do you guys want to go home at dinner and grab a change of clothes so we can get ready here?" Stella asked.

"I always keep an emergency bag of clothes packed in a duffel bag in my car, so I'm good. I'll just have to shower before we leave." Sylvie said.

"Same here. I always bring a change of clothes with me." Emily said.

"I've gotta go home with Kelly and get some clothes. I guess I'll meet you guys there since Kelly's gonna be working the bar if I can talk Herrmann into it unless he's found someone to cover my shift." Stella said.

They laughed again but was interupted by Kelly and Matt.

"What's with the laughter?" Kelly teased.

"Oh nothing. Hey, did Herrmann talk to you about picking up my shift?" Stella asked Kelly.

"No. I think he was waiting to see if you guys were going to hang out tonight or tomorrow." Kelly answered.

"Oh. I need to let him know we decided for tonight." Stella said.

"I'll tell him and I'll cover your shift at Molly's but you'll owe me." Kelly teased.

Stella knew what Kelly meant by that.

"Alright you two. Severide, we got drills to do." Matt chimed in.

Kelly kissed Stella quickly and then left to get Herrmann and the others for drills.

"Foster, make sure you do Brett's hair and makeup. She doesn't like to get dressed up." Stella said.

Emily just smiled.

"I finally get to get my hands on her hair. Yes!" Emily joked.

"What's wrong with my hair?" Sylvie asked.

"For starters, you hardly ever curl it. I figured we could put some waves in your hair and clip part of it up. Then I can do your makeup." Emily insisted.

"Fine." Sylvie caved.

Stella and Emily knew that they would win that argument. Hours went by and they had two more calls on their shift before they all got off work. Stella left with Kelly to get ready for Girl's Night with Sylvie and Emily, while they stayed behind to get ready but realized that they didn't have what they needed.

"Wait, I don't have my curling iron with me." Sylvie said.

Emily checked her bag.

"Crap, I don't either. Uh, what time is it?" Emily asked.

"8:00 but we aren't meeting at Molly's until 9:30 or so." Sylvie said.

It was 8:00 p.m. and the they decided to meet up at Sylvie's apartment to finish getting ready. Sylvie called Stella and told her what she and Emily had decided on.

"Alright, well, I'll just have Kelly drop me off there on our way to Molly's. Sylvie Brett, you are not going to get out of this." Stella said.

Sylvie laughed and they said their goodbyes. After hanging up the phone, Emily gave her a look.

"According to Stella, I'm not getting out of this." Sylvie said.

"She's right." Emily giggled.

Emily looked at Sylvie's outfit and shook her head.

"Alright, I didn't want to say anything at the house, but you're not wearing that. The jeans are fine, but not the shirt." Emily said.

"What's wrong with the shirt?" Sylvie asked.

"Brett, it's Girl's Night. It's one of the few nights that all three of us can actually get all dressed up. Remember that white cami with the navy blue lace short sleeve jacket that you have. You know, the one with the built in cami with it? You should wear that one tonight." Emily said.

Sylvie thought about it and Emily was right. Sylvie was wearing a short sleeve v neck shirt but it wasn't right for Girl's Night. Sylvie changed her shirt and Emily approved.

"Alright, so Stella just sent a text saying that she and Kelly are on her way. She's gonna fix your hair and I'll do your makeup." Emily said.

Within a few minutes, Kelly dropped off Stella and headed to Molly's to pick up Stella's shift. Herrmann was gracious enough to let Stella have the night off and agreed to let Kelly bar tend in Stella's place.

"Alright, let's do this." Stella said as Sylvie let Stella in the apartment.

Sylvie went into her bedroom to grab her makeup while Stella and Emily whispered to each other.

"Kelly sent Casey a message to be at Molly's tonight around 11." Stella quietly whispered.

"Great." Emily whispered back.

"Alright, let's do this." Sylvie said as she came back in the room.

Sylvie placed her makeup on the kitchen counter and then sat in the chair. Stella did her makeup and after she was finished, Emily started fixing Sylvie's hair. It took a bit longer than Emily wanted, but Sylvie's hair was all in loose curls with hairspray holding the curls. Emily grabbed two bobby pins and placed them in Sylvie's hair, pulling part of her freshly curled hair into a half up half down hairdo. They grabbed their purses and headed to the parking lot. Emily somehow managed to convince Sylvie and Stella to ride with her so that they didn't have to take two cars to Molly's but Emily and Stella already planned it so that Emily would leave early and Stella would ride home with Kelly, leaving Sylvie alone. Hopefully Stella, Kelly, and Emily's matchmaking skills would work by having Matt and Sylvie leave together.


	9. Girl's Night Out

Thank you all for continuing to read this story. Don't forget to write a review! I hope you all are enjoying this story. I am enjoying writing this story and getting inspiration from the new episodes. I hope you all like this chapter!

CHAPTER 9

"First round is on me. What do you want?" Emily asked.

"I'll take a strawberry margarita." Sylvie said.

"I'll have a beer." Stella replied.

Emily went to the bar and gave Herrmann and Kelly her drink orders.

"A margarita? That's different from your usual beer." Stella commented.

"Just figured I'd try something different. I'm starting to get tired of the same thing." Sylvie said.

Stella gave her a look.

"Tired of the same thing?" Stella questioned.

"I don't know. I just want to try something different. That's all." Sylvie said.

"Good to know." Stella said.

Emily walked back to the table with her drink and with Stella's drink.

"So, Kelly is in the process of making your margarita and will bring it over when he's done." Emily said.

Before anyone could say anything, Herrmann brought out the karaoke machine.

"Alright you guys, who wants to sing some karaoke?" Herrmann asked, getting the crowd fired up.

The crowd cheered and a few college students started singing karaoke. Everyone was having a good time. Kelly finally brought Sylvie's margarita over and then went back to bar tending.

"Here's to a much over due Girl's Night Out!" Stella said as she raised her beer.

They all clinked their glasses together and took a sip of their drink. Kelly quickly sent a text to Matt asking if he was coming.

"MOLLY'S? BRETT IS HERE. - KELLY." Kelly said in the text message.

Matt's faced lit up.

"BE THERE IN TEN. - CASEY." Matt replied.

He grabbed his keys and headed out the door. He arrived at Molly's within ten minutes and casually walked in. Lucky for him, he had changed clothes after he got home. He was wearing a solid plain grey polo shirt with dark blue jeans. He knew he shouldn't be wanting to spend all this time with Sylvie but he couldn't help it. He wanted to be near her every second he could.

"Hey man, can I get a beer?" Matt asked Kelly.

Kelly handed him a beer.

"You know, Brett is sitting over there with Stella and Foster." Kelly casually commented.

Matt turned to glance around casually and caught Sylvie's eye. She gave him a flirty smile and he turned back around to face Kelly.

"She's hanging out with Kidd and Foster." Matt said.

Just then, Ritter and Gallo joined them at the bar.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ritter asked.

Kelly shot Matt a look and then chuckled.

"Nothing." Matt said.

"Casey has it bad for Brett." Kelly teased.

"I do not." Matt answered.

"Oh really? You took a week off to stay with Brett in Fowlerton. You look at her in a way that I haven't seen you look at any woman, including Gabby. Oh and you didn't waste any time getting to Molly's when I told you she was here." Kelly joked.

Matt couldn't deny the expression on his face.

"Dude, everyone at the house knows that you two have it bad for each other." Ritter joked.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Matt questioned.

"Come on, Casey. I've seen the looks you give Brett when you think no one is watching. You've got it bad." Ritter teased.

"I've seen it too." Gallo said.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about but I'm thinking that you guys need more drills next shift." Matt insinuated.

Ritter and Gallo stopped before Matt suggested that they clean the bathrooms.

"Alright, so it's pretty obvious. Is it not obvious?" Emily asked.

"No, you're right. It's very obvious." Stella said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sylvie asked.

"You have it bad for Casey." Stella said.

"So what if I do? I mean, it's not like he feels the same way about me." Sylvie smirked.

"Don't be so sure. The whole house knows he has it bad for you but neither of you have made a move yet." Emily said.

"See, he doesn't feel the same way." Sylvie said.

"I don't know. I mean, he's sitting over at the bar. He wasn't here when we got here and then he happens to show up after we are here. I'm just saying that I think it's obvious he likes you." Stella said.

"Alright. Fine. I like him and he probably likes me but don't try to set us up. I don't want Casey to feel like he has to ask me out. If he likes me, then he can ask me out on his own but please, don't push him into it." Sylvie said.

"Alright, we won't do that but I get to drive Ambo for the next week." Emily said.

"And you have to go shopping with us this weekend to update your wardrobe. Deal?" Stella asked.

"Deal." Sylvie said.

They continued to chat about other things besides Sylvie and Matt's feelings for each other, but they were going to hold Sylvie to shopping because it was the one thing that Sylvie hated and they knew if she wanted them to drop the teasing about Matt, then she would have to go shopping with them. It was a small price to pay but definitely worth it. Plus, she can spend time with her friends outside of the house.

"I have an idea." Emily said.

Sylvie knew that look.

"Em, no. Don't even think about it." Sylvie playfully warned.

Stella looked confused.

"Wait, what's going on?" Stella asked.

"She wants us to get up and sing." Sylvie said.

"I'm in if you're in." Stella replied.

Sylvie gave her friends a look and then caved in. They walked up and chose the song, "Black Magic" by Little Mix.

"I can't believe you guys talked me into this." Sylvie whispered under her breath.

They laughed and the song started playing.

"All the girls on the block knocking at my door. Wanna know what it is make the boys want more." the women sang.

One of the voices caught Matt off guard. He recognized one of the voices singing.

"Is your lover playing on your side? Said he loves you, but he ain't got time. Here's the answer. Come and get it at a knocked down price." Sylvie sang.

Matt turned and saw that it was Sylvie singing and smiled. The women continued to sing and the crowd was getting into it.

"Take a sip of my secret potion. I'll make you fall in love. For a spell that can't be broken, one drop should be enough. Boy, you belong to me. I got the recipe And it's called black magic..." Sylvie, Emily, and Stella sang.

After the song was over, the three of them went to walk away but Matt grabbed Sylvie's hand.

"You were good." Matt said with a cheerful smile.

Sylvie blushed.

"Thanks." Sylvie smiled back.

They stared at each other for a bit before Emily and Stella yelled for her. She smiled at Matt and he smiled back before heading back to her table.

"Dude!" Kelly said to Matt.

Matt gave Kelly a look.

"What?" Matt asked.

"Seriously? You had your chance and you didn't do anything." Kelly smirked.

"Captain, he's right. If you really like Sylvie, you need to go for it. I like Gabby but she's not here and you can move on. I'm not trying to overstep my position or anything like that, but your face lights up when you see Sylvie, just like I do when I see Cindy." Herrmann said.

If Herrmann is saying something, then it must be obvious.

"Did she drive here?" Matt asked.

"She rode with Foster and Stella." Kelly replied.

"Interesting." Matt said to himself.

Back at their table, Stella and Emily tried so hard not to ask about Matt but Sylvie couldn't help but laugh.

"If you wanna know what that was about, he was just telling me how good we were. That's it. Let's move on." Sylvie said.

"Ok. Uh, Foster and I were saying that we were gonna invite Chloe to go with us shopping this weekend." Stella said.

"That's fine. I'm sure she still needs to get things for the wedding." Sylvie said.

"How's Cruz handling the wedding planning?" Emily asked.

Sylvie laughed.

"He hates it but Chloe is making him give input on it whether he likes it or not." Sylvie giggled.

"I'd say so." Emily said.

"So Stella, Kelly's birthday is coming up. Have you decided what you're gonna do for him?" Sylvie asked.

"I hadn't thought about it. I mean, he hasn't really said much." Stella said.

"You should do something romantic like a weekend getaway to a cabin or something." Emily suggested.

Back at the bar, Kelly asked Matt a curious question.

"Has Stella said anything about my birthday?" Kelly asked.

Matt gave him a look.

"Uh, no. She hasn't said anything. Neither have Brett and Foster." Matt said.

"That makes me wonder if she's planning something with the two of them." Kelly smirked.

Matt turned to look at the women and shook his head.

"If I find out something, I'll let you know." Matt said.

The night went on and everyone was having a good time.

"Last call!" Herrmann yelled out in the bar.

People were coming to the bar to get their last drink before Herrmann closed the bar. Sylvie went to the bathroom and Emily saw it as the perfect opportunity to leave.

"I'm leaving while she's in the bathroom. If she comes back out, just tell her my landlord called or something. Love you! Bye!" Emily said as she quickly left so that Matt could take Sylvie home.

Sylvie came back and saw that Emily was gone.

"Where did Emily go?" Sylvie asked.

"Something about her landlord calling or something like that. She left in a hurry." Stella said, making up an excuse.

Sylvie grabbed her purse and was getting ready to leave. Matt was also getting ready to leave and accidentally bumped into Sylvie.

"I'm so sorry." Matt said.

"It's ok. I was just getting ready to call a cab." Sylvie said.

"Nonsense. I'll take you home. I was just heading out myself." Matt said.

"You sure it's not a problem?" Sylvie asked.

"Absolutely no trouble at all." Matt said.

With that, they said their goodbyes to everyone and headed out. Matt unlocked his truck and opened the passenger door for Sylvie to get in. She got in and Matt closed the door. He walked over to the other side and got in. He turned the truck on and started driving to Sylvie's apartment. Joe was staying with Chloe at her apartment, so she had the apartment to herself. She liked it on some nights but she missed having a roommate there all the time. She missed Otis and the way he made her laugh. She was in deep thought when Matt interrupted her.

"Brett! You're home." Matt said as he tried to get her attention.

"Oh, sorry. Uh, thanks for the ride home." Sylvie said as she got out of the truck.

Matt got out as well.

"Hey, are you alright? You seem distant." Matt said.

"Just thinking. That's all." Sylvie said.

"About what?" Matt asked.

"Everything, but mainly about Otis." Sylvie said.

"Mind if I come up with you?" Matt asked.

"No, I'd like that." Sylvie smiled.

They walked to her apartment and headed inside. Sylvie took her shoes off and placed her purse on the kitchen counter. Matt closed the door behind him and put his keys in his pocket.

"Now is your chance. Don't blow it." Matt thought to himself.

"Make yourself at home. Looks like Joe is staying with Chloe, so I'm home alone again." Sylvie complained.

Matt took his shoes off and walked over to the kitchen where Sylvie was standing. She was frustrated about the fact that Otis wasn't there. She started crying and Matt knew exactly why she was crying. There was a picture of Otis and Sylvie hanging up on the refrigerator with Joe photo bombing them in the background. Matt pulled Sylvie into a longing hug, where she cried on his shoulders. All he wanted to do was take her pain away.


	10. The Kiss

Thank you all for the reviews! I hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I am. Please continue to read and review this story! Thank you!

CHAPTER 10

"Look at me." Matt said as he cupped Sylvie's face in his hand.

Sylvie looked at him.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm always going to be here for you." Matt softly said.

Sylvie smiled.

"I'm sorry I'm crying." Sylvie half giggled.

"It's ok. I miss him too." Matt said as he pulled her into another hug.

She returned his hug.

"So, uh, I have beer, wine, water, and Sprite. Do you want anything?" Sylvie said as she pulled out of the hug.

"No, thanks." Matt said.

Sylvie grabbed a can of Sprite from the fridge and opened it. She took a sip of the crisp drink and then sat it down on the counter. Her phone rang. It was Evan texting her.

"DAD'S HOME. - EVAN." Evan texted.

Sylvie quickly texted back.

"TELL HIM TO GET PLENTY OF REST. LOVE YOU GUYS! - SYLVIE." Sylvie texted.

Sylvie placed her phone down on the counter.

"Are you ok?" Matt asked.

"Oh, yeah. That was just Evan letting me know that our dad got to come home." Sylvie half smiled.

"That's good." Matt said.

The two of them stood in awkward silence for a few minutes before Matt broke the silence.

"Do you wanna go to bed? I can leave." he said.

"No, I'm fine. Do you wanna leave?" she asked.

Matt gave her a small grin.

"No." he whispered.

She smiled and hugged him. Her head was on his chest and she could feel his heart beating. He placed his head on top of her head. They stood in complete silence for a few minutes before they pulled away. Sylvie grabbed her Sprite and they walked over to the couch. Sylvie grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. She really didn't care what was on TV.

"When is Cruz moving out?" Matt casually asked.

"He's actually in the process of moving out and I'll have to find a new roommate, so I'm looking at potential roommates." Sylvie said.

Matt gave her a look.

"Severide said I could stay with him for as long as I need too, but it's hard to sleep at night when Stella is over." Matt said.

Sylvie giggled but knew exactly what he meant by that.

"Well, you could move in here if you'd like. I mean, I'm gonna need a roommate after Joe moves out to help with the rent. You are more than welcome to move in." Sylvie said.

"I'll talk to Severide and let him know. I'm sure he and Stella would love the privacy." Matt said.

They laughed.

"I'm sure he will understand." Sylvie said.

They chatted for a few minutes before Matt stood up.

"I better get going." he said.

"You don't have too." she said as she stood up next too him.

They were standing very close to each other and they wanted to kiss each other but didn't.

"I should but if you're not busy tomorrow, maybe we can grab lunch. I wanna run something by you." Matt said.

"Alright. Yeah. Sure. That's fine. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Sylvie said.

He hugged her, put his shoes back on, and then left. Sylvie closed the door and walked over to the window. She watched as Matt walked to his truck and got in. Sylvie went and put her shoes on and ran down stairs to the main exit. She was hoping to catch him before he left. Matt was checking his phone and had received a voicemail from Kelly.

"HEY MAN, I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD STAY AT HERRMANN'S OR SOMEWHERE TONIGHT. STELLA WANTS TO STAY THE NIGHT." Kelly said over the voicemail.

"Well, there's that." Matt sighed.

It's a good thing that he always kept a duffel bag of clothes in his truck. That's one thing that everyone at 51 had in common. They usally kept a duffel bag of clothes in their car. As Matt went to start his truck, he saw Sylvie running towards him. He immediately got out of the car.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked with worry.

Sylvie was out of breath from running.

"Don't...go..." Sylvie tried to tell Matt but was out of breath.

"Whoa, deep breath." Matt said.

Sylvie took a few deep breaths before she spoke. Matt gazed at her and smiled.

"Sorry. I was trying to tell you not to go because Stella called and said that she and Kelly wanted to spend some alone time together. I figured since you were already here, you could stay." Sylvie said.

Matt chuckled.

"I haven't checked my messages." Matt lied.

"You might want to check them." Sylvie said.

Matt pretended to check his messages and grinned. After he pretended to hang up his phone, he grinned.

"You're right. They do want to spend time together." Matt chuckled.

"Joe is at Chloe's and I'm here alone, so you are more than welcome to crash here for the night, if you want." Sylvie suggested.

"You don't mind?" Matt asked.

"No, I don't mind at all. Joe hasn't slept at the apartment since he got engaged to Chloe. I forgot what it's like having a roommate." Sylvie giggled.

"Alright then. Looks like I'm staying." Matt said.

He grabbed his duffel bag from his truck and then followed Sylvie upstairs to her apartment. After they got in the apartment and closed the door, they took their shoes off and then walked over to the couch and sat down. It was around 3:00 a.m. and both of them were tired but still wide awake. They watched TV for a little bit but somehow, Sylvie ended up falling asleep on Matt's shoulder. He pulled the blanket off the couch and covered her up. He ended up falling asleep just a few minutes later. Sylvie woke up a few hours later and saw Matt sleeping on the couch. She grabbed one of the couch pillows and positioned herself so that her legs were on Matt's lap and went back to sleep. When daylight finally broke, Matt stirred. He was used to getting up early. He remembered that Sylvie had fallen asleep on his shoulder but when he woke up, he saw how she was laying. He smiled and gently moved himself so he wouldn't wake her up. He grabbed his duffel bag and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She heard the water running and got up. She looked around but figured he was in the bathroom taking a shower. She got up and made some breakfast.

"Smells great." Matt chuckled as he walked out of the bathroom, fully clothed.

Sylvie giggled.

"It's not much. Just some eggs and bacon. Joe forgot to do the shopping again and I have to go to the store because I'm out of everything. Literally." she laughed.

"In other words, you need to go grocery shopping." Matt smirked.

She playfully hit him.

"That's what I just said." Sylvie giggled.

Matt laughed.

"Well, I guess we are just gonna have to go to the store." Matt smiled.

"We?" Sylvie asked.

"Go get a shower and I'll take you to the store." Matt said.

"After we eat. I hate cold eggs and bacon." Sylvie smirked.

They ate breakfast and after, Sylvie went and got a shower. After she got out of the shower and got dressed, she put her shoes on and grabbed her purse. She and Matt headed out to go to the store.

"What store do you need to go to?" Matt asked.

"Walmart. I've got a lot of shopping that needs done and I haven't been able to do much lately." Sylvie said.

After Matt pulled into a parking spot and parked the truck, he and Sylvie got out of the truck and went inside.

"So, if you take Joe's place in the apartment, this is how we did things. I hope you don't mind me telling you." Sylvie said.

"Of course not." Matt said.

"Well, we rotate buying groceries each payday. We split the rent and the bills equally. Sometimes we have to help each other out with the bills, but that's what we do. Also when grocery shopping, you have to get things like trash bags, any cleaning supplies, bathroom supplies, that sort of thing. Is that alright with you?" Sylvie asked.

"That's pretty much what I'm doing with Severide, so that works out." Matt said.

"That's great." Sylvie said.

Sylvie grabbed a buggy or shopping cart as some people call it, and headed down the grocery aisles to get what she needed. Matt followed behind her. She had gotten several vegetables to make a pasta salad with, along with some fruits. As Sylvie was looking at items on the shelf, her cell phone started ringing. It was Stella.

"Hello?" Sylvie asked over the phone.

"Hey girl, have you seen Casey? Kelly's looking for him." Stella said.

"Uh yeah, I'll let him know." Sylvie said.

Stella could tell by the tone in her voice that Matt was with her.

"He's with you, isn't he?" Stella asked.

"Yeah." Sylvie answered.

"Where are you guys at?" Stella asked.

"Walmart. I have to get some things." Sylvie casually said.

"That's perfect because we are here as well. Which isle are you in?" Stella asked.

"The frozen dinner section." Sylvie said.

"Alright. Well, we are a few isles over. We'll be there in a few." Stella said as she hung up the phone.

Sylvie hung up her phone and turned to look at Matt.

"So, Stella called to say that Severide is looking for you and they are a few isles over, so be prepared to see them." Sylvie explained.

"Oh crap. I forgot I was supposed to meet Severide this morning." Matt said.

Sylvie giggled. Before she could reply, Stella and Kelly found them in the isle that they were in.

"Hey man, I was beginning to get worried about you." Kelly joked.

"Brett needed a ride to the store. The battery on her car needs to be charged." Matt lied.

Sylvie went along with it.

"When you guys get done, can you come over and help me with something?" Kelly asked.

"Sure." Matt said.

"Alright. See you guys later. Oh and you can bring Brett if you want." Kelly said as he and Stella left.

Stella and Kelly went to pay for their groceries while Sylvie finished up her shopping with Matt. After Sylvie paid for the groceries, she and Matt left and headed back to Sylvie's apartment. Matt helped Sylvie carry in the groceries and helped her put them up.

"That's the last of it." Matt said as he handed Sylvie the eggs.

"Thanks." Sylvie said as she put the eggs in the fridge.

"I guess I should go meet Severide. You are more than welcome to come with me. I'm sure Kidd will be there." Matt said.

"Oh, ok. Yeah. If you don't mind." Sylvie nervously said.

"I don't mind." Matt said.

They both chuckled and as Sylvie was walking around the kitchen counter, she tripped and fell on top of Matt, who tried to catch her. They started laughing and as Matt laid on the floor, his instincts had kicked in and he wrapped his arms around Sylvie. He looked into Sylvie's eyes and she returned his look. They stopped laughing and Matt couldn't resist. He took one of his hands and cupped Sylvie's face and after brushing her hair out of the way, he kissed her. She returned the kiss with passion. The kiss felt like electricity going through their bodies and after a few minutes, they pulled away and quickly jumped up from the floor, both with big smiles on their faces.

"We should...uh..." Matt stumbled.

"Yeah." Sylvie replied.

They stood there in silence for a few more minutes before kissing each other again with even more passion. The kiss had been building for weeks, more like months and it was finally happening. Matt had wanted this more than he ever thought and Sylvie loved the feeling of having Matt's arms around her. In fact, she loved having Matt kiss her and she desperately wanted his kiss just as much as he did. After a few more minutes, they pulled away and smiled. Today was definitely a great day for both of them and although they wanted to figure out what this meant and what they are, they were more than happy. The feeling of ecstasy filled them. Sylvie grabbed her purse and keys and they headed out to Kelly's apartment. As they walked to Matt's truck in the parking lot, Matt took her hand in his and they walked hand in hand.


	11. The Real Kiss

Thank you all for the kind reviews! I did a little plot twist in the last chapter but I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please continue to leave reviews and read this story!

CHAPTER 11

"Snap out of it!" Matt told himself.

Matt needed to stop daydreaming about kissing Sylvie. It was starting to get the best of him. He was deep in his thoughts when Sylvie snapped him out of it.

"Hey, are we going to Severide's?" Sylvie asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry. I was waiting on you to get done." Matt said.

"Well, the eggs were the last thing I had to put up. If you don't want me going with you, I can stay here. It's up to you. I didn't mean that we had to go together." Sylvie rambled.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I was getting ready to ask if you wanted to go with me." Matt chuckled.

"You sure you don't mind?" Sylvie said.

"I don't mind at all." Matt replied.

"Alright, well, let me grab my purse and keys." Sylvie smiled.

She grabbed her purse and keys and they headed out of the apartment. They got to the truck when Matt's phone starting ringing. It was Kelly.

"Hello?" Matt asked on the phone.

"Hey man, just calling to see if you and Brett are coming by. Stella had to run down to the store for something and we are ordering Chinese food for lunch. Is there anything that I need to tell her to get?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah, we are coming. I just had to help Brett put up the groceries. Let me ask her." Matt said.

He brought the phone down from his face.

"Hey, Severide said Stella had to run to the store and that they are ordering Chinese food for lunch. Is there anything that Kidd needs to get?" Matt asked Sylvie.

"Oh, um, just tell him to tell her Vanilla Bean. She'll know what that means." Sylvie said.

Matt brought the phone back up to his face.

"Hey, Brett said to tell Stella that she wants Vanilla Bean." Matt relayed the message.

"Alright. I'll tell her." Kelly said.

"We are leaving now. See you in a few." Matt said.

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Matt drove to Kelly's apartment, which was just down the street a few blocks away. Matt wanted to talk to Kelly about moving out and moving in with Sylvie but he wanted to wait until she had talked to Joe about it first. As they pulled into the parking lot of Kelly's apartment and Matt put the truck in park, Sylvie's phone rang. It was Joe.

"Hey Sylvie, I'll be getting the rest of my things from the apartment this week." Joe said over the phone.

"Oh ok." Sylvie sounded disappointed.

"I'm sorry I'm leaving you short handed but I'll go ahead and give you next month's rent and I'll even help you look for a new roommate." Joe said.

"About that, um, I already have a person I'm looking into and I want your opinion." Sylvie said.

"Ok. Sure." Joe responded.

"It's Casey. Stella is moving in with Severide and I'm sure they will want their privacy but since you're moving out, I figured why not have Casey move in. At least I'd feel comfortable knowing that there's someone I know and trust that will be staying there with me." Sylvie suggested.

"If Casey wants my room, that's fine. I don't see anything wrong with that." Joe said.

"Alright, well I'll let him know." Sylvie smiled.

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Sylvie turned to look at Matt before they went upstairs to Kelly's apartment.

"So, Joe is getting the rest of his stuff out this week and he's alright with you moving in. So, the offer still stands if you want to take me up on it." she smiled.

"Absolutely!" he answered without giving it a second thought.

"As soon as I know when Joe is out, I'll let you know so you can move in." she smiled.

Matt smiled back and they headed up to Kelly's apartment. Kelly greeted them with a warm smile and let them inside. Funny thing is that Matt had a key to the apartment but Kelly was already waiting on them.

"Waiting on us?" Matt joked.

"Of course. You had a curfew and you broke it. Now you're grounded." Kelly joked.

The two of them were too much for Sylvie to handle on her own. They were joking, teasing, and carrying on with each other. Sylvie couldn't wait for Stella to get back with the food.

"Hey Brett, found a new boyfriend for the apartment or is that too soon?" Kelly teased.

Sylvie found it to be funny and knew that Kelly was only joking around. She laughed a bit.

"Actually, I have." Sylvie smiled.

Kelly nearly spit out his drink. He wasn't expecting her to say that.

"What?" Kelly questioned.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but I'm Brett's new roommate." Matt chimed in.

Kelly looked a bit surprised at first, but gave his friend a warm smile.

"I told you that you could stay here for as long as you need too." Kelly said.

"I know and I'm happy that you gave me a place to stay, but with Stella always coming over and moving in now, I think it's time to leave. That and the fact that Brett really needs a roommate. She can't afford her apartment on her own." Matt explained.

"I get it and I'm happy for you. So, when are you taking my best friend and roommate away from me?" Kelly asked as he turned and looked at Sylvie.

She turned to look at Matt and then back at Kelly.

"That's up to him. Joe won't be out until the end of the week." Sylvie said.

"That means I have a week left with him." Kelly joked.

They all joked around and carried on for a bit until Stella returned. Kelly had pulled Matt aside to talk while Sylvie helped Stella with the food.

"I know that look on your face. You had another daydream of Brett, didn't you?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah and if I move in with her, I just may act on those feelings." Matt said.

"Do it. You've had plenty of chances. What in the world are you waiting for?" Kelly asked.

"I don't know. She's got me..." Matt said but was interrupted by Kelly.

"All messed up? Yeah, welcome to my world. I'm miserable when Stella isn't around." Kelly said.

As the men continued to talk about Matt's problem of daydreaming about Sylvie and how he's moving in with her, Stella and Sylvie were catching up.

"So, how did it go with Matt? I mean, has he kissed you yet?" Stella asked.

Sylvie giggled.

"No, but I thought we were a few times last night." Sylvie admitted.

Stella gave her a look.

"Don't give me that look. You're really going to freak out when I tell you who my new roommate is going to be after Joe moves out." Sylvie said.

"Who? Foster?" Stella guessed.

"No. Casey." Sylvie happily admitted.

"No way. Are you serious? Get it girl!" Stella teased.

"Shh. Joe should have his stuff moved out by the end of the week..." Sylvie said before being interrupted.

"So Captain Sexy can move in with you." Stella teased.

"Shh...geez. You're as bad as Foster." Sylvie giggled.

Stella laughed.

"Can't help it. Oh, here's your Vanilla Bean Frappe that you love so much." Stella said as she handed Sylvie the drink from Starbucks.

"You're a lifesaver. How much do I owe you?" Sylvie asked.

"Nothing. Just seeing you and Casey together is all the thanks I need." Stella teased.

They laughed.

"After two failed engagements, he can come to me." Sylvie laughed.

They laughed and Kelly and Matt returned.

"What's so funny?" Kelly asked.

"Nothing." Stella replied.

"Stella, you are a lifesaver. I'm just saying." Sylvie said as she took a sip of her drink.

"What is that?" Matt asked.

"It's a Vanilla Bean Frappe from Starbucks. Tastes like a milkshake." Sylvie said as she took another sip of the drink.

"Can I have a sip? I've never had one before." Matt asked.

"Sure." Sylvie said as she handed Matt the drink.

He took a sip of the drink and agreed with Sylvie.

"It does taste like a milkshake." Matt chuckled.

"Does it really?" Kelly asked curiously.

"Yes." Sylvie said.

"Can I try?" Kelly asked.

"Sure." Sylvie replied.

Kelly took a sip of the drink and was surprised by the the taste.

"You're right. That does taste like a milkshake." Kelly laughed.

"I tried to tell you." Sylvie laughed.

"Alright, so I have sesame chicken, rice, chicken lo mein, orange chicken, fortune cookies, and beef and broccoli." Stella said.

Kelly grabbed some paper plates from the kitchen and brought them over to the coffee table in the living room. Stella had got all of the food from the bag and placed it on the coffee table. Kelly brought some drinks from the fridge and brought some silverware and sat them on the table. Everyone grabbed a plate and filled it full of food. After, they all opened their fortune cookies.

"What does it say?" Stella asked Kelly.

"DO NOT FOCUS ON THE PAST BUT THE FUTURE." Kelly said as he read the fortune cookie.

Stella opened her fortune cookie and read the fortune.

"COURAGE IS ALL YOU NEED." Stella read.

Sylvie read her fortune next.

"A SECRET CRUSH IS UPON YOU." Sylvie read.

She started to blush because her crush was Matt Casey but it was more than that. She wasn't sure what they were but it was more than a crush.

"I wonder who that's about." Kelly teased.

Matt chuckled but opened his fortune cookie.

"LOVE IS ON THE HORIZON." Matt read.

Both Sylvie and Matt felt their cheeks to red. Matt and Sylvie each wondered if their friends had purposely fixed the fortune in the fortune cookies but didn't say anything. After reading their fortunes and eating the cookies, Matt and Sylvie helped Kelly and Stella clean up before Matt took Sylvie back home. Kelly pulled Matt away to talk for a minute while Stella and Sylvie chatted.

"Hey man, um, do you think that maybe you could..." Kelly said without trying to sound insensitive to Matt.

"Don't worry about it. Just let me pack a few clothes and get some things that I need." Matt said as he went to his room and packed another bag of clothes.

He didn't really have a whole lot, since he lost the majority of his things from the fire at his old apartment. Nearly every picture of him and Gabby except for one or two was completely gone. Kelly was nice enough to help Matt out, but Matt missed having a place of his own. He was grateful and thankful that Sylvie was giving him a place to stay. He came back in and he and Sylvie said their goodbyes and left.

"Hey, could I crash at your place again? Severide and Kidd want..." Matt trailed off.

"Oh, yeah. That's fine. Joe called me while you were talking to Severide and said that his room is completely cleared of his things if you wanna start moving in today. He has a few things left in the apartment but his room is cleared out." Sylvie said.

"Well, in that case, I've already got some of my things packed. I can start moving in today." Matt smiled.

Sylvie liked the idea of having him move in as soon as possible but her hormones were all over the place. Her biggest fear about Matt moving in is that he would bring some strange woman home and she would have to try and hide how hurt she would be. Even if Gabby showed up and got back together with Matt, she would still be hurt, but looking on the bright side of things, she will be a lot closer to Matt and will get to see him every day outside of work and not that she would notice, but she will also get to see his gorgeous abs.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go." Sylvie giggled.

Matt drove them to the apartment and after showing Matt around, Matt moved his things into Joe's old room. The one room he didn't show Matt was the room where Otis slept. That room hadn't really been touched since Otis died. Otis's family got what they wanted of his but everything else remained. It was a room that Sylvie knew that she and Joe would have to go through together. She wasn't ready for it but it had to be done.

"That's where Otis stayed. Joe and I haven't been able to bring ourselves to open the door. His family got the majority of everything out, but there's things that Otis and Joe did together that are in there. Memories of the three of us goofing around." Sylvie remembered.

"I get it. I felt that way when Hallie died. I don't know if I ever told you this or not, but before Gabby, there was Hallie. She was a doctor at a clinic and was murdered. Gabby got me through the worst of it but, well, you know how that whole thing ended." Matt explained.

"I remember Gabby mentioning a woman named Hallie in general conversation but never really went into detail about it." Sylvie replied.

Matt went to walk away and Sylvie grabbed his hand. This time, it wasn't a daydream or some fantasy he or Sylvie were having. It was real. They had longed to actually touch each other besides a hug here or there.

"You know I'm always here for you, right?" Sylvie softly said.

"Yeah." Matt replied.

They were standing as close as they could. He squeezed her hand gently to let her know that he was happy she was there for him.

"Alright, so I usually fix dinner on my day off for next shift. Is there anything in particular you want? I don't mind to cook." Sylvie said, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"What were you planning on fixing?" Matt asked.

"I was planning on making lasagna." Sylvie said.

"Hmm...sounds really good." Matt said, intrigued.

"Don't tell anyone that I'm a good cook. That's why I don't cook for anyone at the house. I don't wanna be that stay at wife, minus the wife part, that cooks for everyone. I like to do it for fun. Don't tell my secret." Sylvie said as she got the ingredients out to cook.

"So, that's why whenever it's your turn to cook, you just buy a bunch of pizzas or some sort of take out?" Matt noted.

"Guilty." Sylvie admitted.

"I'll make you a deal. If you let me taste the sauce, I won't say anything." Matt teased.

"Deal." Sylvie smiled.

She cooked the noodles like she always does and then fried the hamburger. After everything was finished, she let Matt taste the sauce.

"This is good...no...great. This is the best sauce I have ever had." Matt said as he took in the flavor of the sauce.

"Thank you. My mom taught me how to cook and that's our family recipe." Sylvie smiled.

After she placed the noodles, hamburger, and cheese into a glass baking dish, she put it in the oven to cook. Matt and Sylvie chatted and Matt decided to help with the dishes. The next thing they knew, they were having a water fight in the kitchen and laughter filled the apartment. The next thing either of them realized, they were standing as close as they possibly could. This wasn't some fantasy in Matt's head. This was real. As real as it has ever been. If he had a chance to make his move, now was the time. He brushed a piece of hair from her face and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She returned the kiss. It wasn't some daydream or fantasy. It was everything that he wanted and more. Sylvie couldn't believe that the man she had come to known a lot more and had a crush on was finally kissing her. It was exactly what she wanted, what they both wanted. After a few minutes of kissing, they pulled away and smiled at one another.


	12. Keeping A Secret

Thank you all so much for the reviews! I enjoy reading them and I'm having so much fun writing this fanfic. I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter, but I hope you all like it! Please continue to read this story and leave reviews!

CHAPTER 12

That kiss was the best thing to happen to the two of them. Sylvie could finally breathe. She wasn't hiding anymore. Matt wasn't hiding. He finally made the move and it was well worth it. After weeks, no months, of thoughts that the two of them had about each other, the kiss finally happened. Matt smiled at Sylvie as she tried to wipe the water from her face that Matt had sprayed on her just a few minutes ago. The timer on the oven went off, which meant the lasagna was done. Matt stepped aside to let Sylvie take the lasagna out of the oven and place it on top of the stove.

"Smells great." Matt teased with a whisper.

"Yes it does." Sylvie whispered.

She was nervous about looking at him. She wasn't sure what Matt wanted but she knew it was Matt that made the first move. They stood there in awkward silence before Matt moved aside.

"I'm starving." he chuckled, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Me too." she smiled.

Sylvie grabbed two plates from the cabinet above the stove and handed one of them to Matt. She sat her plate down on the stove and opened the silverware drawer to grab some forks for her and Matt. She handed him one and placed her fork on her plate. She then grabbed a spatula from the drawer and used it to cut the lasagna and place a piece on her plate as well as Matt's plate. They ignored the fact that they had just kissed.

"I have some plastic bowls that we could put some of the lasagna in for lunch tomorrow, if you want." Sylvie casually said.

"Sure." Matt answered.

Sylvie placed the leftover lasagna into two separate bowls for her and Matt to take for lunch tomorrow. After she put the lasagna in the fridge, she and Matt went over to the living room and sat on the couch and their dinner and watched TV. It was a bit awkward for them and neither of them knew how to start the conversation. After they ate, they took their plates into the kitchen and placed them in the sink. Sylvie tried to leave, but Matt grabbed her hand and she turned around.

"About that kiss." Matt said as he looked at Sylvie.

"Yeah, it was..." Sylvie said before being interrupted.

"Amazing." he whispered.

His whisper sent chills down her spine. She just looked at him, speechless as to what to say.

"It was amazing." she finally whispered.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Of course." she replied.

"I have been wanting to do that ever since you came back, more like since you and Kyle broke up the first time." he admitted.

"Really?" she curiously asked.

"Yeah." he said as he walked back over to the couch.

Sylvie followed behind and sat beside of him on the couch.

"Wow." she replied.

"When you and Kyle first got together, I was happy for you but I was also still grieving the fact that Gabby had just left me and I felt jealous that Kyle had you and I had no one." Matt said.

"You were jealous?" Sylvie questioned with a half smile and curious look.

"Yeah. In a way, I felt like Kyle was taking the only person who became my best friend, away from me. Then when you and him broke up, I didn't want to say or do anything because I felt like what we would have had would be a rebound thing, me with Gabby and you with Kyle. So, I tried to give you space but then Kyle asked you to marry him and then we lost Otis, so I just gave up." Matt explained.

"Well, since we are being completely honest with each other, I was never in love with Kyle. I loved him but as a friend. Every day that I was in Fowlerton, I wanted so badly to be here, but namely, I wanted to see you. I thought we started getting closer after Gabby left and it hurt me knowing that I left you alone." Sylvie said.

"You came back." Matt noted.

"I did and I'm so thankful I did. I guess I told Kyle I would marry him because my first engagement ended so horribly and I was starting to feel like I would end up alone and be that crazy cat lady who has a million cats and no husband and I didn't want that anymore." Sylvie told him.

Matt looked at her and smiled.

"You, Sylvie Brett, are the most amazing person I have ever met. I'm just glad you're back home where you belong." he smiled.

She couldn't help but smile back.

"And you, Matthew Casey, are the most amazing person that I have ever met. I'm happy I'm home too. Kyle wanted me to be a stay at home wife and that's not me. I love working and I just felt like Kyle and I were stuck in the friend zone, ya know?" she said.

"Yeah, I do. You know, it's funny. I think Severide and Kidd had this planned out. You know, kicking me out of his apartment and leaving me to stay with you and all that." Matt joked.

"Now that you mention it, I think you're right. I know Stella has been trying so hard to get me too...never mind." Sylvie mumbled.

"Yeah, Severide's been acting the same way." Matt chuckled.

They continued to talk for a little bit before going to bed. It was nice for them to talk about the kiss and their feelings but they did agree to take things slow and to keep it a secret for now. They both agreed to have a little bit of fun with both Stella and Kelly since they knew that both Stella and Kelly would keep asking them about each other. The next day at work, Sylvie and Matt tried to avoid each other, as to not make anyone suspicious of what had transpired the night before.

"So, tell me what happened with Casey." Stella said with a smile on her face.

"There's nothing to tell." Sylvie lied.

"So, Casey didn't kiss you or anything?" Emily chimed in.

"No. Nothing happened. I mean, we ate dinner and watched TV but nothing happened." Sylvie sighed.

"When is that man gonna admit he's got the hots for you?" Stella asked.

Sylvie wanted to laugh because Matt already admitted his feelings but she couldn't give it away. If she did, then she would never hear the end of it.

"There's times when I think he'll act on it, but doesn't. What am I supposed to do?" Sylvie questioned.

"You're gonna have to make the first move." Emily teased.

"Easier said than done." Sylvie replied.

"I guess Kelly and I are just gonna have to set you two up together." Stella joked.

Sylvie shook her head. Her friends were determined to get her and Matt together but keeping the secret that she and Matt had decided to take things slow was starting to eat at her but she couldn't say anything, at least not right now.

"I'll make you a deal. If we aren't together by Christmas, then set us up." Sylvie joked.

"It's Spring, so I'll give you both until Easter." Emily chimed in.

"Easter. Take it or leave it." Stella said.

"Fine. Easter. It's only about a month away, so what's the harm in that?" Sylvie questioned but already knew the answer too.

"This is gonna be fun. Sylvie Brett, you and Captain Matt Casey better start talking soon because if not, well, we are going to set you two up and there's literally nothing yo can do about it. Oh, and Kelly will also be involved." Stella joked.

The three of them laughed until the alarm sounded.

"AMBULANCE 61. WELLNESS CHECK. 366 EAST 94TH STREET." the dispatcher said over the intercom.

Sylvie and Emily ran out the door and to the ambulance as quickly as they could. When they arrived on scene, they were greeted by the landlord.

"Hi, I'm Sylvie and this is Emily. We are paramedics with the CFD. We got a call about a wellness check." Sylvie asked one of the neighbors of the apartment building.

"My name is Ruby. I was walking by this apartment to get to mine when I noticed an odor coming from this apartment. Justin is a college student and usually comes out with his dog, Tori, every morning but I didn't seem them today and his car is outside." Ruby explained.

Sylvie and Emily knocked on the door and called out but no one responded. The landlord showed up as the two of them were about to kick in the door.

"Can I help you two?" the landlord said.

"We got a call to do a wellness check on this tenant. Are you the landlord?" Sylvie asked.

"Yes. My name is Julia. What's wrong with Justin?" Julia asked.

"We're not sure. We just received a call to do a wellness check but no one answered." Emily said.

"Here, let me." Julia said as she knocked on the door.

No one answered. Julia took her master key and opened the door. There was a horrible smell coming from the apartment. Sylvie and Emily made it to the bedroom where the source of the odor was coming from. Justin, the tenant, had been murdered along with his dog.

"AMBULANCE 61 TO MAIN. I NEED THE CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT AND INTELLIGENCE UNIT TO THE SCENE." Sylvie called over the radio.

"COPY THAT AMBULANCE 61. IS THE ADDRESS THE SAME AS THE WELLNESS CHECK?" the dispatcher asked.

"YES!" Sylvie replied.

The dispatcher sent in the request to get the Intelligence Unit of the Chicago Police Department to the address. Hank Voight and his whole team arrived on the scene within a few minutes. Sylvie relayed what was going on and after waiting to get the all clear, they transported the body to Chicago Med. When Sylvie and Emily arrived back at 51, Truck 81, Squad 3, and Engine 51 were all out on separate calls. About an hour later, everyone else came in.

"Cruz, set up drills for Squad!" Kelly ordered.

Kelly was in a foul mood due to the call that they were just on.

"Mouch, I need you to run drills for Truck!" Matt ordered.

Sylvie and Emily could tell by the tone in Kelly and Matt's voices that the calls didn't go so well. Herrmann then walked in the common room angry.

"Engine, get ready for drills!" Herrmann ordered.

Something must have happened in order for Truck, Squad, and Engine to have to do drills.

"Brett, can I see you in my office?" Matt firmly said.

Sylvie didn't like that tone in his voice but did as she was asked. She walked into his office and he closed the door. He was livid.

"Do you wanna tell me why CPD had to get involve with your wellness check?" Matt asked.

"We got called out on a wellness check and when the landlord let us in, you could smell this rotten odor that came from one of the rooms. When I went in there, I saw a body with a gunshot wound and a dead dog. I had no choice but to call CPD." Sylvie retorted.

"Apparently your wellness check victim and all three calls that we were on today, are connected somehow. I need you and Foster to be careful on your calls.  
Intelligence thinks there is a serial killer out there and that the killer may be targeting the CFD." Matt said.

"What makes you say that?" Sylvie asked.

"Voight and Boden were talking about how you and Foster just happened upon a crime scene while Truck 81 was at a fire. During that call, Squad 3 gets called to rescue people that were stuck in an elevator a few blocks from where we were. Last, Engine 51 gets a call a few more blocks from that. Voight and Boden checked the addresses and the times that we went on the calls. All the calls were within a four block radius and the calls were ten minutes apart. As your superior, I'm asking that you and Foster be careful on these calls. We have to be on our guard." Matt explained.

"We will." Sylvie softly replied.

"There's one more thing." Matt firmly said.

"What's that?" Sylvie asked.

Matt closed the blinds in his office and then walked over to her.

"This." he whispered as he gave her a passionate kiss.

She returned his kiss and knew that if they wanted to keep everyone out of the dark, at least until they figure things out, then they would have to stop. They pulled apart and Matt quickly opened the blinds. Kelly and Stella were trying to see if they could spot Sylvie and Matt together in a compromising position so that they could tease them, but they were disappointed when it wasn't what they thought.

"I'll let Foster know of the situation. Oh, uh, does CPD think it's someone after the CFD or just some random killer on the run?" Sylvie asked, hoping that whoever was listening didn't catch on.

"Right now, we aren't sure. Just be safe and stay alert." Matt replied.

Matt knew why Sylvie asked that but he also felt the need to say it again to get his point across. A few hours later, everyone was gathered in the common room. Truck, Squad, and Engine had just completed drills and were tired. Chief Boden came into the common room to make an announcement.

"Due to the events pertaining to the recent calls, Family Game Night has been cancelled until further notice. I'm sure you're all aware of the dire situation that has taken place. We need to be on alert but also try our best to be safe and cautious. Once this guy is caught, then we will resume Family Game Night, but please, watch out for one another as well as yourself. If you see anything suspicious, notify CPD immediately. That's an order." Chief Boden said.

Boden left the room and everyone was on pins and needles. They have dealt with far worse than this, but they still had to be on alert. Just a few weeks ago,  
they had a series of false fire alarms going off, which interfered with the CFD going to a real call. Matt and Kelly finally found out who was starting the false alarms and why and got it taken care of.

"AMBULANCE 61. TRUCK 81. SQUAD 3. ENGINE 51. BATALLION CHIEF 25. STRUCTURE FIRE. 876 EAST BANKS STREET." the dispatcher said over the intercom.

"Let's go!" Boden yelled to everyone.

It didn't take them long to arrive on the scene. The scene was filled with smoke. Victims were coughing and running out of the building.

"Brett! Foster! I want you to set up triage. Casey, I need Truck to check for any clear openings that will help get anybody in the building out. Severide, I want Squad 3 to conduct a search and rescue. Herrmann, stand by with the fire cannons." Boden ordered.

With that, everyone went to work.

"AMBULANCE 61 TO MAIN. WE NEED ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES ON SCENE." Sylvie called out over the radio.

"MAIN TO AMBULANCE 61. SENDING ADDITIONAL AMBULANCES TO THE SCENE." the dispatcher said over the radio.

Within minutes, several more ambulances arrived on scene to help set up triage for the victims.

"All clear!" Matt yelled over the radio as he checked the main entrance.

"All clear over here, Captain!" Mouch yelled out over the radio.

Mouch had checked the back entrance way and determined that it was safe.

"Gallo, what's your status?" Matt called out.

"It's all clear, Captain. Looks like everyone got out." Gallo replied.

Just then, Gallo and the others heard yelling. People were trapped on the floor above them.

"Severide, we need Squad!" Matt yelled over the radio.

"On our way!" Kelly yelled back over the radio.

Kelly, Matt, Capp, and Tony all headed inside to help Truck 81 rescue the remaining victims. Matt and the other members of Truck 81 had did most of the rescuing but it was still dangerous. The fire was spreading fast and the smoke was heavy and thick, making it hard to see anything and anyone.

"Chief, we have about four victims on the second floor. Cruz and Mouch are checking the third floor for victims." Matt called out over the radio.

"How bad is the fire?" Boden asked.

"The smoke is heavy and thick, but it looks to be clear on this floor." Matt replied.

"Captain, all clear on the third floor!" Joe called out over the radio.

"Alright, let's get everyone out of here!" Chief Boden yelled out over the radio.

Joe and Mouch arrived back on the second floor where the rest of Truck 81 and Squad 3 were. Parts of the building were starting to fall and they knew that they had to get out of there right now. The building was starting to collapse a little bit with the third floor starting to crumble. Stella and Gallo managed to get one of the victims out safely but the situation was dire.

"We need to evacuate now!" Matt yelled.

Mouch looked around and saw that there was a clear exit.

"Casey, there's a clear path over here!" Mouch yelled.

Matt ordered the victims to follow Mouch and Kelly out to safety. Stella and Gallo were already outside and were under orders of Boden not to return inside the building. Tony, Capp, and Joe helped get the victims from the second floor to the first floor and then to outside, where it was safe.

"All clear, Lieutenant!" Joe said over the radio to Kelly.

"Copy that! Cruz, what's the status of the fire?" Kelly asked.

"We need to get the water cannons on it as soon as possible." Joe relayed.

"Copy that! We are almost to the first floor." Kelly yelled over the radio to let everyone know that he and the others were almost out of the building.

A few more minutes past by and they were out of the building.

"Herrmann, now!" Boden ordered.

Herrmann and the rest of Engine 51 turned the water cannons on to help put out the fire.

"Did everyone make it out of the building?" Boden asked Kelly and Matt who had just made their way over to the Chief.

"Yes, Chief." Kelly replied.

"I want you and the rest of Truck and Squad to get checked out." Boden said.

"You got it." Matt replied as he and Kelly went to tell the others.

Tony, Capp, Joe, Stella, Mouch, and Gallo were helping the victims get treated by Sylvie and Foster, along with the other paramedics on the scene when Matt and Kelly walked over.

"Brett, Boden wants all of us to be checked out." Kelly said.

"We got the last of the victims checked out and transported. Foster, can you start helping me check Truck and Squad for Boden?" Sylvie asked.

"You got it." Emily relied.

"Truck with me, Squad with Foster!" Matt ordered.

While Squad 3 was getting checked out by Emily, Sylvie checked everyone from Truck 81. One by one, they were given the all clear by Sylvie. Matt was the last to be checked. He had a small cut on his forehead.

"How bad is it?" Matt asked.

"It's just a small cut. You'll be fine. Doesn't need any stitches." Sylvie replied.

"Hey, are you ok?" Matt asked.

Sylvie looked around to see if anyone was around before she got up in the back of the ambulance and had Matt follow her.

"I am now." Sylvie breathed.

She didn't realize that she had been holding her breath this hold time. Matt took her hand.

"I'm safe. Ok." Matt said.

"I know." Sylvie replied.

After Sylvie gave Matt the all clear, he quickly glanced around to see if anyone was around and once he saw that the coast was clear, he gave her a kiss, which she happily returned. They quickly pulled away before being caught and Chief Boden showed up.

"Brett, how's Casey?" Boden asked.

"He has a small cut on his forehead, but other than that, he's good to go." Sylvie smiled.

"That's good." Boden said and then left.

After loading up their equipment, everyone returned back to Firehouse 51. Sylvie was in the bunk room working on the report from the call that they had just back from while Emily was restocking and taking inventory of the ambulance. Matt looked at Sylvie, who looked up to see him. He motioned for her to come to his office and she smiled. She brought her report with her and walked inside Matt's office. He closed the door and closed the blinds. He then gave her a kiss and held her as close to him as he could.


	13. Possible Stalker

Thank you all for the reviews! I am enjoying working on this story and I have added a few original characters for plot purposes only, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please continue to leave reviews!

CHAPTER 13

Sylvie pulled away from the embrace that Matt had on her and sat down on his bunk bed.

"Any news about how the fire started?" Sylvie asked.

"No word yet. Boden is having OFI look into it to see if it is connected to the previous calls that we received." Matt answered.

Just as Sylvie was about to say something, Kelly walked up.

"Hey, Boden just got word from OFI and Voight that the calls are all connected to a serial arsonist named Jonathan Trent. Turns out that his brother, Mark, was a serial killer who died in a fire about ten years ago before the cops were able to arrest him for murders. Rumor has it that Mark set himself on fire to frame the CFD for his murder." Kelly explained.

"If that's true, why is he doing it now?" Matt asked.

"Apparently, this year marks the tenth anniversary of Mark's death and Jonathan has a history of starting fires. Get this, he was arrest five years ago for arson but there wasn't enough proof that he started the fires, so they let him go. Two years later, the same thing. Now, the same patterns are reappearing and Voight thinks that Jonathan is involved in this and Intelligence is looking for him." Kelly explained.

"That's good but we need to catch this guy and soon. How does that connect to the call that Brett and Foster received?" Matt asked.

Before Kelly could answer that, Chief Boden showed up.

"I just got off the phone with Voight. Turns out that Jonathan Trent and your victim, Justin, were once cellmates in prison. Justin Fisher was in the same prison about two years ago. According to what Voight found out, Justin turned on Jonathan in order to get his sentence reduce. He was on probation for four years, had to meet with his probation officer twice a week, and had to have a job. If he got caught with any drugs, he would immediately go back to prison. According to his probation officer, Justin was doing well. He got his life back on track and was doing well." Boden explained.

"So, if the call that Foster and I were on is connected to these fires, how are we going to stop this guy? I mean the guy could be waiting on us." Sylvie chimed in.

"We have to keep doing our jobs. Call for backup, follow protocol, everything. I'll keep you guys posted." Boden said as he turned and walked away.

"I'll go tell the other guys so that they know what's going on." Kelly said.

Matt nodded and Kelly left. Matt turned and looked at Sylvie.

"I want to cook dinner for you tonight. I was thinking we could have our first date tonight at the apartment." Matt smiled.

Sylvie's face lit up.

"You read my mind, but why at the apartment?" Sylvie asked.

"Because then I can kiss you and not worry about getting caught." he teased.

"You know, I feel like we are two teenagers sneaking around trying not to get caught by the principle." she laughed.

"Which makes it so much more fun." he teased.

"Well, I'd like that. Dinner at the apartment and taking things slow. What more could I ask for?" she said.

"I could think of a few things." he teased.

She wanted to kiss him but she also wanted to stay professional while at work and Matt respected that.

"I'm sure you could." she teased.

They quickly kissed and then she left to finish the report. It was time for dinner and Herrmann had brought Cindy's homemade chicken casserole and strawberry cheesecake for everyone. Cindy liked cooking and whenever she would cook or bake, she always made enough to feed the whole town, or so it seemed.

"Come and get it!" Herrmann yelled.

"What is it? Poison?" Capp joked.

"No. It's Cindy's chicken casserole and strawberry cheesecake." Herrmann replied.

"In that case, I'm sorry." Capp joked.

"Haha. You're too funny." Herrmann joked back.

Everyone jumped in line and got a plate of food. Matt looked for Sylvie but didn't see her. He found her in the bunk room on the phone. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he did.

"What do you mean she wants to find me? I thought those records were sealed." Sylvie said over the phone.

"They are, but she really wants to find you." the voice on the other end of the phone said.

"She doesn't have that right, does she? I mean, she gave me up for adoption and had plenty of chances to come find me or contact me somehow. Why now?" Sylvie asked.

"We can't release any information without your consent. Since you are over the age of 18, we would need your consent to give her any information such as who adopted you, where you live, that sort of thing. Other than that, I'm afraid I can't give you any other information." the woman said.

"I do not give you permission to release my records. Those are sealed records and she has no right to them." Sylvie argued.

"I understand. I will let her know, but just be aware that she can still find out things without getting these records." the woman said.

"As long as you and the agency do your job and keep my records sealed, then you have done your job. Thank you so much for letting me know." Sylvie replied.

Sylvie hung up the phone and sighed heavily. Matt knocked on the door to the bunk room door and came in.

"Hey, what's going on?" Matt asked.

Sylvie sighed heavily before answering.

"The adoption agency that my parents went through to adopt me got a call from my birth mother who wants to find me." Sylvie said.

"How do you feel about that?" Matt asked.

"I don't know. My biological mother had nearly twenty plus years to find me and contact me so why is she trying to contact me now?" Sylvie questioned.

"Come here." Matt said as he pulled her into a hug.

Stella and Joe found Matt hugging Sylvie.

"What's going on?" Stella asked, hinting that she suspects something.

"I just got a call from home. My dad is back in the hospital yet again. Apparently, he had a reaction to some medication that the doctors gave him." Sylvie said.

She wasn't lying. She had received a phone call from her mom telling her about her father, but Sylvie just left out the part about the adoption agency.

"Is he ok?" Stella asked with concern.

"Yeah. They are keeping him overnight for observation." Sylvie said.

"Casey, here's the key to the apartment. Chloe and I got the last of my things out at lunch, so it's officially your new home." Joe smiled as he gave Matt the key to the apartment.

"Thanks." Matt said.

Sylvie's phone rang and it was an unknown caller. She was a little skeptical about answering it, but decided to answer it anyway.

"Hello?" Sylvie asked over the phone.

"Is this Sylvie Brett?" the woman asked.

"May I ask who is calling?" Sylvie asked.

"Am I speaking with Sylvie Brett?" the woman asked.

"May I ask who is calling?" Sylvie asked.

"Are you Sylvie Brett? Yes or No?" the woman demanded to know.

Sylvie hung up the phone. She was scared a little creeped out.

"What was up with that?" Joe asked.

"Someone was looking for me but wouldn't say who they were. I normally don't answer calls that I don't know, but something told me to answer it. Some woman wanted to know if it was me but got mad when I wouldn't answer." Sylvie said.

"If it happens again, you need to tell Voight. Maybe the Intelligence Unit can figure out who is calling you." Joe said.

"That's a good idea. Thanks." Sylvie replied.

With that, Stella and Joe left and Sylvie followed Matt to his office.

"What's going on?" Matt asked.

"I'm not sure. I think it might be my birth mother. I don't know how she got my number. I told the adoption agency not to give any of my information out to her." Sylvie explained.

"If it happens again, we need to tell Boden and Voight. I'm not about to let someone come after you." Matt said.

Sylvie nodded her head and Matt pulled her into a hug. A few minutes later, Sylvie and Matt went into the common room where everyone was hanging out.

"Guys, I need to talk to you all. It's important." Sylvie said.

"What's going on?" Joe asked.

"Only Gabby and Casey knew this about me. I was adopted when I was younger. I never knew my birth mom and I'm afraid she's trying to get in contact with me.  
The adoption agency that my parents used to adopt me, got in touch with me and informed me that my birth mom was trying to get in touch with me. She's had twenty plus years to try and contact me and I really don't want to see her. Growing up in foster homes wasn't easy and it was awful. I wished so many times that my biological parents would come find me but after being adopted, I didn't have that feeling anymore. So, if you see some woman come here looking for me, do not tell her I work here. I've gone the majority of my life without her. I don't want to bring up old memories." Sylvie explained.

"Whatever you need, we have your back." Kelly said.

"Don't you worry about a thing." Boden said.

"I wish you would have told us about this sooner but don't worry. We got your back." Stella said.

"If you need anything at all, day or night, I'm only a phone call away. Ok." Joe said.

"Thank you guys." Sylvie said.

"AMBULANCE 61. POSSIBLE CARDIAC ARREST. 492 EAST JACKSON DRIVE." the dispatcher called out on the intercom.

Sylvie and Emily took off on the call. When they arrived on the scene, there was a man that was laying on the ground with a teenager by his side.

"My name is Sylvie and this is Emily. We are paramedics with the CFD. Can you tell me what happened?" Sylvie asked.

"I can't breathe. My chest hurts and my arm feels numb." the man said.

"Sir, what's your name?" Emily asked.

"Walter." Walter said.

"Ok, Walter. I'm gonna need you to take a deep breath for me. Can you do that?" Sylvie asked.

Walter tried to take a deep breath but couldn't breathe. He lost consciousness after a few minutes.

"We need to intubate now!" Sylvie said.

"What's going on? What's happening to my dad?" the teenager asked.

"What's your name?" Emily asked.

"Alison." Alison said.

"Alison, I need you to listen to me. We need to take your dad to Chicago Med to get the help he needs. Ok. You can ride in the ambulance with us but we need to get him there now." Emily said.

Alison agreed and Sylvie and Emily got Walter and Alison into the ambulance and then drove them to Chicago Med. Afterwards, they got supplies for the ambulance and headed back to 51. When Sylvie got out of the ambulance, she saw a woman standing by Squad 3's table waiting on someone. Worried that the woman might see her, she stayed in the ambulance.

"Em, go get Casey and Severide. Tell them that there is a woman over by Squad 3's table and that I'm in the back of the ambo." Sylvie said with a worried tone.

"Ok. Hey, you know we got your back, right?" Emily said.

"Yeah. I would just feel comfortable if they were out here with me." Sylvie answered.

Emily got out of the ambulance and was about to go inside when the woman stopped her.

"Excuse me, but do you know if a Sylvie Brett works here?" the woman asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. She's no longer at this firehouse. She quit and returned to Fowlerton, Indiana. I'm sorry." Emily lied.

"Oh, I see. Uh, do you have her address? I really need to speak with her." the woman said.

"I see. May I ask who you are?" Emily questioned.

"My name is Annette Daniels. I'm her mother." Annette stated.

"Well, we aren't at liberty to give out any personal information, but all I can tell you is that she lives in Fowlerton now." Emily lied.

"Alright, thanks." Annette said.

Emily headed inside but Sylvie noticed that Annette didn't leave. Why was her biological mother trying to get in touch with her? Sylvie was curious but a bit scared. She didn't know what this woman wanted and she didn't care. All she wanted was to have Matt next to her in order to get her out of here and into the house. A few minutes later, Matt and Kelly came outside after Emily told them what was going on. They spotted Annette.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Sylvie Brett. I was told by the police department that she worked here but one of your paramedics said that she lives in Fowlerton now." Annette said.

"That's correct. She got engaged and she and her fiance moved to Fowlerton. We haven't seen or heard from her since May." Kelly partially lied.

"That's not what I was told." Annette said.

"Look, she hasn't worked here since the death of our friend and coworker. She moved away with her fiance. We haven't seen her since." Matt said.

"I'm not going anywhere until I see my daughter. It's important that I talk to her." Annette demanded.

"Well, she's not here. Now, if you don't leave, we will call the cops and have you arrested for harassment." Matt implied.

"I know she's here. I'm not leaving until she talks to me." Annette demanded.

"Well, you're gonna have to go to Fowlerton because she's not here." Kelly hatefully said.

Just then, Chief Boden came outside.

"Look, I'm not going anywhere until I see my daughter!" Annette screamed.

"What's going on here?" Boden asked.

"My name is Annette Daniels and I'm looking for my daughter, Sylvie Brett. The Chicago Police Department told me that Sylvie works as a paramedic here and I'm not leaving until I see her." Annette told Boden.

"I'm Chief Boden and I'm the supervisor of this firehouse. Sylvie Brett left back in May to go to Fowlerton with her fiance and we haven't heard from her since then. She took the death of one of my men very hard as they were roommates and close friends. She left and the last I checked, she was working for the Fowlerton Fire Department as a paramedic. Now, if you do not leave, I will be forced to call the cops and believe me when I say that the cops that I call won't put up with your attitude." Boden said.

After a few minutes of arguing, Annette finally left. After the coast was clear, Sylvie got out of the ambulance. Something wasn't adding up. They all start to suspect that this woman was involved with the serial arsonist that was connected to the calls that everyone had been on but they weren't sure. Boden immediately called Voight and the Intelligence Unit and within several minutes, they had arrived. Sylvie was shaken up and was sitting in Boden's office with Matt and Kelly. You could see the sheer fear on her face and how scared she was. It wasn't something she wanted to deal with. Luckily, Voight and Jay showed up to find out the situation and see what they could do. No way were they gonna let Sylvie live in fear over this.


	14. Bad News

Hey everyone, thank you so much for the reviews! I hope you all have enjoyed this story so far and I hope that you will continue to leave reviews! Here is the next chapter of this story. I hope you all enjoy it!

CHAPTER 14

"I need you to tell me everything that you know, starting with when the calls first started." Voight said.

"I was in the bunk room when I received a phone call from the adoption agency that my parents used to adopt me. The agency said that my biological mom was trying to get a hold of me. I told them not to give my information away and that was the last time I spoke to the agency. Then Casey, Stella, and Joe came in and we talked for a bit before I answered my phone. Some woman kept asking for for me and when I wouldn't tell her it was me, she got mad and the next thing I know, the conversation had ended." Sylvie explained.

"And that happened today?" Voight asked.

"Yeah." Sylvie replied.

"Then what happened?" Voight asked.

"We got called out on a call for a cardiac arrest patient and then came back here. I noticed a woman standing near Squad 3's table on the apparatus floor and that's when I told Foster to go get Severide and Casey. That's also when they used the excuse that I was still in Fowlerton. This woman claimed to be my biological mother and said that CPD told her that I worked here, which sounded a bit odd." Sylvie explained.

"Casey. Severide. What did the woman say her name was?" Jay asked.

"Annette Daniels." Matt replied.

Jay wrote the name down. Voight wrote down what Sylvie had said.

"Alright, here's what we are going to do. We are going to have a patrolman sitting out here when you leave. Do you have anyone you can stay with or have anyone who can stay with you?" Voight asked.

"I just moved in with her, so I'll be there." Matt said.

"Good. When you get home, lock the doors, window, whatever you can. I'll also have a patrolman in an unidentified car sitting in the parking lot looking for any suspicious behavior. If I get a hit on this woman and she's connected to that serial arsonist, then you could be his next target." Voight said.

After discussing the details of everything, Voight and Jay left.

"Brett, I want you staying here the rest of the night. Kidd will take your place until shift is over." Boden said.

Sylvie nodded and then she, Matt, and Kelly left Boden's office. She and Matt walked to his office and Kelly went to tell Stella the news.

"Hey, Voight and his guys are on this. I'm gonna be home with you tonight, so you don't have to worry about that. Ok." Matt said, trying to reassure Sylvie.

"I know." Sylvie replied.

Just then, Sylvie's phone rang. It was Voight.

"Hey Brett, it's Voight. Listen, we did a background check on the name of the woman and it turns out that the name Annette Daniels is an alias. She's working with the serial arsonist, Jonathan Trent, the guy that we are after. Her real name is Susan Austin." Voight said over the phone.

"Voight, let me put you on speaker." Sylvie said as she put the speaker on.

Voight repeated everything that he had just told Sylvie.

"Brett, I would like to have a patrolman inside the apartment building just in case Jonathan or Susan shows up. We are going to try and set a trap for them and if it works, they will be arrested and you won't have to worry." Voight said.

"Thanks, Voight!" Sylvie exclaimed.

A few days went by and the Intelligence Team caught both Annette Daniels, also known as Susan Austin, and Jonathan Trent, the serial arsonist. The Intelligence Unit was able to catch both of them and the whole mess was over. Sylvie could finally breathe a sigh of fresh air. She and Matt were staying at the apartment with undercover cops hiding out at their apartment. Annette Daniels (Susan Austin) made the fatal mistake of showing up with a gun and what could be explosives. The cops watched her plant the explosives and that's when they arrested her. Jonathan Trent was in another part of the apartment building trying to set fire to the building. The cops managed to catch both of them and with the evidence, there was no way that they would ever get out of prison. Sylvie, Matt, Kelly, and Emily were with Boden, Jay, and Voight in Boden's office.

"So it's over?" Sylvie asked Voight.

"Yeah and if I have anything to say about it, they will never see the light of day again." Voight said.

"Did they say why they were targeting Brett?" Kelly asked.

"No, but we did find out from Susan, or Annette, that the CFD was the main target and that the plan was to start targeting all of the paramedics first, to make it more difficult for any victims to be rescued." Jay chimed in.

"So, Brett and Foster were their first targets?" Matt asked.

"Yeah and not only that, but they were targeting all of the CFD paramedics. That was their goal." Jay said.

"So their initial goal was to target all of the paramedics and then ultimately go after the firefighters? Makes no sense." Kelly said.

"I know but that's what we were told. In a way, it does make sense because if they prevent the paramedics from coming to the scene, it will delay the victims getting the help they need and it could also hinder any firefighter that's responding to the scene that might need medical attention." Voight said.

"Either way, I'm just glad it's over." Sylvie said.

Just then, Sylvie's phone rang. It was her mother.

"Hey Chief, I need to take this." Sylvie said.

Boden nodded and Sylvie stepped outside to take the call.

"Hello?" Sylvie asked over the phone.

"Sweetheart, I heard about what happened. Are you alright?" Elaine asked.

"Yeah mom. I'm fine. How's dad?" Sylvie asked.

"He's still in the hospital. He took a turn for the worse. The doctors said that we should start preparing for the worse." Elaine said.

Sylvie started to tear up. She knew that this was a possibility but the thought of her dad dying, well, she didn't even want to think about it.

"Should I come back?" Sylvie asked.

"Honey, that's up to you." Elaine said.

"Let me see what I can do and I'll let you know." Sylvie said.

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Sylvie walked back into Boden's office where everyone was still in there.

"Is everything ok?" Boden asked.

"It's my dad. He's taken a turn for the worse and the doctors told my mom that she should start preparing for the worse." Sylvie said.

"You've still got plenty of vacation time saved up. Do you need to take it?" Boden asked.

"Yeah. I think I do." Sylvie said.

"Tell you what I'll do. Go ahead and finish your shift and take as much time as you need. We'll cover you here." Boden said.

"Thanks, Chief." Sylvie replied.

"Brett, if you need anything while you're gone, just ask. We consider the CFD as one of our own." Voight said.

"Thanks." Sylvie whispered.

Everyone left Boden's office and Sylvie headed to the bunk room. It had been a long morning already without any calls and she wanted to rest as long as she could. She and Matt had to postpone their date night until after everything calmed down and now, she would have to leave to take care of her family. Maybe it was a sign that she and Matt shouldn't be together. She wasn't sure. All she knew is that she had to go be with her family but she wanted Matt to be with her more than anything. This was going to be hard on her and she needed him. A few hours went by and Truck 81 got called out to a call. It was a slow Thursday day and it was almost dinner time. A total of two calls happened throughout the whole day, which was unusual but no one was complaining. It was rare that they had a slow day, so they took whatever they could get.

"Hey, how are you guys holding up?" Stella asked Emily.

"Sylvie's having it really rough right now. She got news that her dad isn't doing too well." Emily replied.

"What happened?" Stella asked.

"I'm not sure. She just said that her dad has taken a turn for the worst." Emily answered.

"I'm worried about her." Stella said.

"I know. I am too." Emily said.

They continued to talk while Sylvie was hiding out in the bunk room.

"Hey, so I talked to Boden. He got your leave approved." Matt said to Sylvie as he walked into the bunk room.

"That's good." Sylvie whispered.

"Hey, everything is gonna be fine and I'll be there if you need me." Matt said as he pulled Sylvie up from the bed and into an embrace.

"I know. I'm just stressed about everything." Sylvie replied.

"Why don't you go sleep in my office. I can close the blinds and shut the door so you can have a little privacy." Matt said.

"Ok." Sylvie whispered.

She and Matt left the bunk room and went to his office. Sylvie crawled into the bed and instantly fell asleep when her head hit the pillow. Sylvie barely ate lunch and she skipped dinner. Matt was worried about her. He left her and went to the common room to grab some food for Sylvie. While he was in the common room, Sylvie received a phone call.

"Hello?" Sylvie asked.

"Sis, it's dad. He's not doing too good. Is there any way possible that you can make it back here?" Evan said.

Sylvie sat up. Her heart sank. Her dad, the man that raised her and loved her when no one else would take that responsibility, wasn't doing too well. He had taken a turn for the worse and it was the last thing that Sylvie wanted to deal with.

"What? No! Evan, no! He's fine. He's gonna be fine." Sylvie yelled over the phone.

Her voice was cracking and everyone came running when they heard her yelling.

"Sis, he's not gonna be fine. He's getting worse. You need to come home now." Evan said.

"Ok. Uh, I'll be there as soon as I can." Sylvie cried.

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

"Brett, is everything ok?" Boden asked.

"Chief, my dad has taken a turn for the worse. I need to get there as soon as possible." Sylvie said, wiping a tear from her face.

"You don't even have to ask. Go take care of your family. We're here if you need us. Just let us know what happens." Boden said.

"Thanks, Chief." Sylvie half smiled.

Boden left as well as the others, but Matt didn't. He had waited until everyone left before going into the office. He saw the look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked as he placed the plate of food on his desk.

Sylvie explained everything to Matt.

"Do you want me take you?" Matt asked.

"No. I don't want you to leave work early and I don't know when I'll be back." Sylvie said.

Matt kissed her.

"Let me take you to Fowlerton and I'll come back before shift is over. As soon as shift is over, I'll drive back." Matt said.

"You don't mind?" Sylvie asked.

"You are more important." Matt said.

"I need to go home and pack." Sylvie said.

"Alright. Let me tell Chief and we'll go." Matt said.

Matt went and told Boden the situation and Boden granted him permission to take Sylvie to Fowlerton as long as he returned back to finish his shift. Matt and Sylvie left and headed to their apartment so they could both pack a suitcase. Matt wasn't going to let Sylvie go through this alone and although he would have to leave her to come back and finish his shift, he was going to come back the minute shift was over. After they packed their suitcases, they headed to Fowlerton. Sylvie had barely ate anything and she wasn't feeling good. After about three hours of driving, they had arrived at the hospital. Matt went in with her and they greeted her mom and brother. While she talked to her mom about her dad, Matt pulled Evan aside.

"Hey, do me a favor and make sure our girl eats something. She's barely ate and I'm worried about her." Matt said.

"I'll see too it that she eats. When she takes things hard like this, she doesn't want to do much." Evan said.

"I've gotta get back to Chicago to finish my shift, but I'll be back after my shift is over." Matt said.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out on her." Evan replied.

Sylvie saw Matt motion for her to step outside.

"I have to go back but I will be back just as soon as shift is over. In the meantime, you can text me or call me unless I'm on a call." Matt said.

"I know. Just be safe. Ok. I couldn't handle it if you..." Sylvie trailed off.

Matt gave her a kiss.

"I will, but you need to eat, even if it's a bag of chips." Matt said.

"Deal." Sylvie smiled.

Before leaving, they heard the nurses in the hallway talking and gossiping. Matt decided to give them something to talk about. He kissed Sylvie with passion and she returned the kiss.

"I've gotta get back." Matt whispered.

"I know. You better go so you can come back to me." Sylvie whispered.

Matt kissed her again and pulled her into a hug before he left. He hated to leave her but he would be back soon enough. Sylvie went back into her father's hospital room where her mom and brother were and waited with them.

"Sis, you need to eat." Evan said.

"I will once I know what the doctor tells us." Sylvie replied.

"Sweetheart, please eat something." Elaine said.

Sylvie knew better than to argue with her mother.

"Fine, but I won't be gone long." Sylvie replied.

She got up and headed down to the waiting room where the vending machines were since the cafeteria was closed. Meanwhile in Chicago, Matt had just arrived back at the firehouse. It was a little past midnight and he was tired but that that didn't stop him from doing his job. After checking in with Boden, he went to his office to get some rest while he could. Just as he laid down, the alarm sounded but thankfully, it was for Squad 3 only. Within a few minutes, Matt was asleep. He missed Sylvie already. They had yet to have their first date because of everything that was going on, but he was planning something special for her for when she gets back. Back in Fowlerton, Sylvie and Evan had gone to their parent's house and she slept on the couch. She had ate some chips and drank some water at the hospital from the vending machines, but she just didn't have an appetite for anything. She craved Matt's touch and although she knew he would be here soon enough, it felt like an eternity. Matt woke up after a few minutes and sent Sylvie a text message.

"GOODNIGHT, BEAUTIFUL. SEE YOU SOON. - MATT." Matt texted.

Sylvie smiled.

"GOODNIGHT AND I CAN'T WAIT!" Sylvie responded.

Both Matt and Sylvie smiled at the text they received and proceeded to go to sleep. It had been such a long and crazy week and Matt was going to make sure that Sylvie wasn't alone during this time. He was leaving as soon as shift was over to go back to Fowlerton to be with the woman he cares about and wants to be with. Nothing was going to stop him from being with her.


	15. Tragedy

Hey everyone, thank you all so much for the reviews! I really love this story and I hope you all have enjoyed it so far! Please continue to leave reviews and feedback for me. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 15

Hours went by and Matt's shift was finally over. He got into his truck and headed to Fowlerton. It seemed like the longest three hours of his life, but once he arrived at the hospital, he parked the truck and got out. Sylvie and Evan were with their mom in their dad's hospital room. Patrick was connected to life support and the doctor had pretty much told them that they would have to make a decision within the next several hours. Patrick was bleeding internally, his body was shutting down, and there wasn't anything the doctors could do. Matt got to the hospital and joined Sylvie, her mom, and her brother.

"Thank God you're here." Sylvie said as she tried to hold back the tears.

"Shh...it's alright. I'm here." Matt said as he kissed her head and soothed her back.

"Thank you for coming, Matt." Elaine said with a small smile.

"Yeah, thanks for coming. Sylvie's barely ate." Evan said.

Sylvie pulled out of the embrace that Matt had on her and shot her brother a look and then looked at Matt.

"I did eat. Not a lot, but I did eat." Sylvie said.

Matt gave her a look.

"Chips. I ate a bag of chips." Sylvie said.

"That's better than nothing and it does meet our deal." Matt slightly chuckled.

Sylvie's eyes were red from all the crying she did.

"I did say that I would eat something." Sylvie half smiled.

The doctor came in and they all knew what that meant.

"We ran a few more tests on Patrick and his organs are failing worse than we thought. There is internal bleeding that is causing major damages. Now, we can do surgery to try and stop the bleeding, but it's not a guarantee that the surgery will work. His lungs are not functioning properly and his kidneys are shutting down..." the doctor continued to talk but Sylvie just blocked him out of her mind.

There was nothing more the doctors could do. Sylvie knew that this decision was going to be hard. They had to let her father go. It was the last thing she wanted to do but what other choice do they have? Sylvie knew it was time. She held Matt's hand and he comforted her.

"We need an answer." the doctor said.

Elaine turned to look at Evan and Sylvie, who were both in tears, although Evan tried to hide it. Evan and Sylvie nodded and gave Elaine the ok to let their father go. Elaine walked over to her husband and said goodbye to him. Evan followed in his mom's footsteps, followed by Sylvie. After saying their goodbyes to Patrick, Elaine gave the doctor her answer.

"We're ready." Elaine said.

The doctor started giving instructions on how he would go about unplugging the machines and removing the IVs. After all of this, Elaine and Evan left to go home. Sylvie and Matt stayed for a few minutes before finally leaving. As Sylvie walked out of the room with Matt, she heard the nurses whispering about her and she was sick and tired of it.

"You guys have something to say about me?" Sylvie asked.

The nurses just looked at her. Sylvie kept hearing whispering and she turned around to see one of her former classmates who is a nurse, whispering.

"Sylvie Brett. Long time, no see." Claire Ellison said.

"Claire Ellison." Sylvie replied.

"So, I hear you got engaged and dumped him for some other man. Doesn't surprise me though. You were always a tramp back in the day." Claire laughed.

"I was the tramp? Really? I'm not the one who slept with half of Fowlerton and their fathers." Sylvie retorted.

"I'm not the one who got engaged and got dumped at her wedding and then got engaged again only to dump her fiance." Claire snorted.

"Is that the best you can do?" Sylvie asked.

"At least I made a career for myself. I'm a nurse and I have a wonderful husband and two year old daughter. What about you? Oh, that's right. You're not married and you are just some lousy paramedic who probably barely makes any money." Claire sneared.

Sylvie was getting mad. Her father had just passed away and the last thing she needed was some condescending person getting in her face. She took a deep breath and composed herself.

"You know what, Claire? I am a paramedic, but it's not because I couldn't make it to college. It's because I chose to be a paramedic. I've have been in more danger than you will ever be and as for the pay, Chicago pays their EMT's and their firefighters a very decent amount of money. There are calls every single day, some more than others, but I wouldn't change it for the world. At least I'm making something for myself. My father just died and here you are being so petty. When are you going to grow up, Claire? At least Hope learned from her mistakes, but you...you never will." Sylvie said.

Claire felt humiliated. After Sylvie said what she did, she and Matt left the hospital. They got in his truck and she cried. Before he turned the truck on to to leave, he looked at Sylvie.

"I know that was hard but look at me, I'm here." Matt said.

He pulled her into an embrace.

"I don't know what I would do without you." Sylvie said as she held him close to her.

He kissed her and then drove to her parent's house. They arrived and Elaine was in the living room looking at photo albums. Evan had gone out to get some food.

"Mom?" Sylvie softly asked as she and Matt walked in the house.

Elaine was crying.

"Oh, sweetheart." Elaine said in tears.

"Mom, do you need anything?" Sylvie said, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes.

"I just want to wake up from this nightmare." Elaine cried.

Sylvie and Matt comforted Elaine for a bit until she started to fall asleep. Sylvie helped her mother upstairs to her room and helped her get ready for bed.  
Sylvie came back downstairs and heard Matt and Evan talking in the kitchen.

"So, you like my sister?" Evan asked.

"I do." Matt replied.

"You know she's been through a lot. First with Harrison and then with Kyle. She told me that the next time she gets engaged, it better be her last because she's tired of being a spinster." Evan said.

"I'm gonna kill him." Sylvie whispered to herself with a quiet giggle.

"I really care about Sylvie. She was there for me through some of my darkest days. I just want to be here for her." Matt said.

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Evan said.

"More than anything. I didn't realize how much I cared for her until she got engaged to Kyle." Matt said.

"Ah, the famous 'I had my chance and didn't realize it until it was too late' kind of thing." Evan chuckled.

"Pretty much sums it up." Matt chuckled.

"Well, now is your chance. She's my sister and I love her but whatever you do, please don't break her heart." Evan said.

"I care way too much about her to do that." Matt said.

"Good." Evan replied.

They chatted a few more minutes before Sylvie made her presence known.

"Hey Evan, mom is asleep." Sylvie said as she walked into the kitchen.

"There's some chicken and mashed potatoes if you want some. I'm heading to bed. Goodnight." Evan said as he headed upstairs.

"Why does he look depressed other than, well, you know?" Matt asked, hoping not to sound insensitive.

"He and his girlfriend broke up the day we came back to Chicago. Apparently, she was cheating on him while he was at the hospital with mom and dad. They were together for a while." Sylvie explained.

"That sucks." Matt replied.

"Yeah but he deserves better." Sylvie smiled.

Matt got up and got the plate of chicken and mashed potatoes and brought it to over to Sylvie, who was sitting at the table.

"You need to eat." he said.

"I'm not hungry." she replied.

"Babe, I'm not asking. I'm telling." he said.

Babe? Did she hear him right? He did just call her babe, right? How could she not eat after he called her an endearing name? She smiled and just shook her head.

"I can't say no to you and it's my weakness." she softly whispered.

Matt grinned and watched as she started to eat a bite. The next thing either of them knew, she was eating all of the food on the plate. She was hungry and didn't even realize it. After, she put her plate in the sink and was about to head upstairs when she noticed that Matt wasn't behind her. Matt stepped outside to grab his suitcase from his truck and then came back in. She stopped and noticed that the front door was opened. A few minutes later, Matt returned and she grabbed his hand and headed upstairs. They walked into her room and she closed the door.

"I don't wanna be by myself tonight. I can't be by myself." Sylvie said.

"I'm not going anywhere." Matt replied.

"Good. I'm just gonna change clothes. I'll be back in a few minutes." Sylvie said.

Sylvie grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom to change. Matt took his shirt and jeans off and put on his pajama pants. During the whole time that he and Sylvie were living in the apartment together, not once had they slept in the same room together. Not once did they sleep together in any way, shape, or form, and not once did he ever go shirtless. Sylvie had changed into a pair of red and yellow checkered pajama bottoms with a red spaghetti strap shirt with the words "GRYFFINDOR" written across the shirt with the Gryffindor house logo on it. She was a Harry Potter fan, so the pajamas were a gift from her father a few years back when she decided to move to Chicago. She walked out of the bathroom and back into her room where Matt was standing, shirtless, exposing his abs and his bare chest.

"Gryffindor, huh? I would have taken you to be more of a Ravenclaw." Matt teased.

"Nope. I'm a Gryffindor through and through." Sylvie smiled.

She hadn't smiled like that all day and with good reason. He loved to make her smile. She gave him a look and then smiled.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked.

"I'm thinking you are a mixture between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw with a bit of Hufflepuff added in there, but definitely not a Slytherin." she teased.

"No, I'm definitely not a Syltherin." he softly whispered.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. He held her close to him and then placed a small kiss on her head. They pulled out of the embrace and then crawled into bed. Matt wrapped his arms around Sylvie and held her close to him througout the night. Sylvie cried herself to sleep and it broke Matt's heart. He wanted to take the pain of losing her dad away from her but he couldn't. All he could do was just hold her close. He finally fell asleep a few hours after Sylvie did. The next morning, Matt woke up to an empty bed. Sylvie was in the bathroom taking a shower. She felt numb inside. She was sitting in the bathtub as the water was running from the shower. She was a daddy's girl. Her father was like her anchor at times whenever she had a meltdown. Her father was one of the very few people that she could go too and vent too without constantly being judged for her decisions. Sylvie seemed to be taking forever in the bathroom. Matt was growing very concerned. He knocked on the bathroom door and when no one answered, he slowly opened the door.

"Sylvie?" Matt asked.

"Matt?" Sylvie asked.

"I got worried when no one answered." Matt said.

Sylvie was crying.

"I...I...I'm fine. I, uh, I just..." Sylvie stammered.

"Do you need some help?" Matt asked, concerned.

"No, I'll be out in a minute." Sylvie softly replied.

Matt left the bathroom and Sylvie got out and got dressed. Her mom was still asleep and Evan had left early to take care of a few things. After getting dressed, she left the bathroom and went back to her room where Matt was. She smiled when she saw he was still shirtless.

"There's that smile I love so much." Matt said with a slight smile.

Sylvie blushed and just kissed him.

"What was that for?" Matt asked.

"Everything. I don't know how I would get through this without you." Sylvie sighed.

He kissed her.

"I'll be back. I'm gonna grab a shower, ok." Matt said.

She kissed him. He grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom. Sylvie put a little bit of makeup on to try to hide her red eyes, but it didn't help much. After he got a shower and got dressed, Matt headed back to Sylvie's room. He saw she was sitting at her dresser, looking at a picture of her father but noticed that her hair wasn't brushed. He walked over to her and grabbed the brush that was sitting on top of the dresser.

"Let me brush your hair." Matt whispered.

"Ok." Sylvie whispered.

Matt took the brush from her dresser and gently started brushing her hair. After he was finished, he placed the brush on her dresser.

"I don't wanna do this." Sylvie said.

"I know, but you have too. You need to do to this for your mom." Matt said.

Sylvie took a deep breath.

"You're right. Uh, do you think you could call Boden and tell him what's going on?" Sylvie asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry about that." Matt said.

Sylvie heard Elaine out in the hall and then heard Evan. Evan was trying to get his mom to eat something.

"I'm gonna go down there and help Evan." Sylvie said.

"Not before this." Matt said and pulled her into a kiss.

She returned his kiss and then headed downstairs. Matt followed behind her and stepped outside on the porch to call Boden.

"Hello?" Boden asked as he answered his phone.

"Hey Chief, it's Casey. Uh, I'm gonna need a few days off. Brett's dad just passed away and neither she nor her mom are in any condition to be alone." Matt said.

Boden's heart sank just a little bit. Sylvie was like a daughter to him.

"You got it. How's her brother doing?" Boden asked.

"He's trying to be strong for Brett and their mom, but he reminds me of myself." Matt explained.

"Tell Brett that we are all thinking of her and if she needs anything, well, all she has to do is ask." Boden said.

"Will do. As soon as I know when the funeral is, I'll let you know. I know she could use you all there with her." Matt said.

"I'll see too it that we are all there. Just let me know when so I can let everyone know." Boden said.

After they hung up the phone, Matt headed inside. He saw Elaine and Sylvie eating while Evan was cooking breakfast. Matt walked into the kitchen and sat down beside of Sylvie. She took his hand and held it. It gave her comfort and he was glad that she was finally eating something. Elaine, Evan, and Sylvie agreed to start planning the funeral after they had breakfast. It was the last thing that any of them wanted to do, but it had to be done. Matt told Sylvie that Boden said he could have a few days off to be with Sylvie and her family, which made her smile. Having Matt around was the one normal thing in her life that she needed. Elaine started telling stories about her husband, which made Evan, Sylvie, and Matt laugh. They hadn't laughed since last night and for some reason, Sylvie seemed to be at peace for the first time since this happened.


	16. Preparing For Goodbye

Hey everyone, I want to say thank you for all of the reviews. I love writing this story, so if you are following it, please feel free to let me know how I'm doing. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please continue to leave reviews :)

CHAPTER 16

After eating breakfast, Sylvie, Matt, Evan, and Elaine headed to the funeral home to make arrangements for Sylvie's father. Sylvie felt like it was taking all day to make the arrangements but it was only a few hours. Afterwards, Evan and Elaine decided to call family members and notify them of the situation, while Matt and Sylvie went back to Chicago. Sylvie told her mom that she needed to tell Boden and the others in person but she would be back later. After driving for three hours, Matt and Sylvie arrived at 51. At this point, she didn't care if Stella and the others teased her about Matt or if they found out that she and Matt were together. All Sylvie knew was that this was going to be hard on her. Boden kept quiet about what happened to Sylvie's father until Sylvie or Matt told him otherwise. No one in the house knew her father died except for Boden. Matt called Boden to let him know that he and Sylvie were on their way back and they needed to meet everyone at 51.

"Here goes nothing." Sylvie softly whispered to Matt.

"It's ok. I'll be right beside you." Matt said.

Boden had everyone meeting in the briefing room.

"I know you guys are wondering why I called you here. Sylvie Brett is going to need us more than ever. She and Casey should be here any minute and she can tell you guys herself but I will say, the news isn't one that any person wants to hear." Boden said.

Boden stepped aside and about two minutes later, Sylvie and Matt walked in. Suddenly, Sylvie felt overwhelmed.

"So, uh, I went back to Fowlerton and we had a decision to make. We had to let my father go and we just got done making the arrangements. His services are going to be Friday, at 6 pm for the wake and Saturday at noon for the funeral at the Fowlerton Funeral Home. I'm gonna be off work for the next several days.  
I..." Sylvie cried.

Sylvie couldn't help but cry. Everyone got up and walked over to her and one by one, they gave her a hug.

"Hey kiddo, if you need anything at all, just ask." Herrmann said as he gave her a hug.

"Thank you." Sylvie whispered.

"I'm so sorry." Kelly said as he gave her a hug.

"Thank you." Sylvie whispered.

"Girl, if you need anything, just ask." Stella said as she gave her friend a hug.

"I will." Sylvie replied.

Emily gave her friend a hug but couldn't say anything. Seeing Sylvie cry and be in pain was more than enough for Emily to handle.

"Hey, Trudy and I are just a phone call away." Mouch said as he gave Sylvie a hug.

"Thank you." Sylvie whispered.

Ritter, Gallo, Tony, and Capp all gave Sylvie a hug and then Boden was the last one left.

"51 is a family. We are your family. We are not going to miss your father's funeral." Boden said as he gave her a hug.

Sylvie teared up some more as she returned Boden's hug.

"We all love you." Boden said, motioning towards everything.

"Thank you, guys. Really." Sylvie cried.

Sylvie and Matt said their goodbyes for now and headed back to Fowlerton.

"Hey, would you mind if we stopped to eat?" Matt asked.

"Sure." Sylvie smiled.

Matt pulled into the parking lot of Pizza Hut.

"I'm gonna go order four pizzas and four things of bread sticks and sauce. Is that ok?" Matt asked.

"Four? You're gonna eat four pizzas by yourself?" Sylvie joked.

"No, one for me, one for you, one for your mom, and one for Evan." Matt smirked.

Sylvie laughed.

"No kidding." Sylvie giggled.

Matt pulled into an empty parking spot after circling around a few times. He parked the truck and turned to her.

"Do you know how much you mean to me?" he asked.

"I have an idea." she smiled.

He kissed her and she returned his kiss. She let him go in and place the order. Since the restaurant was busy, they gave Matt a pager so that they could page him when his order was ready. He went back out to his truck and sat with Sylvie while waiting on the order.

"You are amazing, Matthew Casey." Sylvie smiled.

"No, that's all you." Matt smiled.

"If you say so." she giggled.

She knew better than to try and argue with him. After about thirty minutes, Matt's pager went off and he went inside to get the food. He came back out to the truck and placed the food in the middle between him and Sylvie. She could smell the food and it was making her hungry. He turned the truck on and drove to Sylvie's parent's house. It didn't take them long to get there and after he parked the truck, Sylvie grabbed the bread sticks and sauce, while Matt grabbed the pizza and they headed inside.

"Mom! Evan! We have food!" Sylvie called out.

Sylvie and Matt headed to the kitchen and placed the food on the table. Evan and Elaine weren't in the house. Sylvie looked for a note but saw nothing.

"Where could they be?" Matt asked.

Sylvie looked up and noticed the back door was opened.

"The barn." Sylvie said.

Sylvie made sure the door was unlocked before she and Matt headed to the barn.

"Annie and Stormy are gone." Sylvie smiled and then started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Matt asked, confused.

"Mom and Evan are out riding." Sylvie chuckled.

"And that's funny why?" Matt asked.

"It's funny because I was remembering when dad and I used to go riding. Once a week, mom and Evan would pick a day and just go riding for the whole day. Dad and I did the same thing. Saturdays would be mom and Evan's day and Sundays were for me and my dad. Every Monday, all four of us would go riding before school. I don't know. I guess I seeing Thunder just reminded me of that." Sylvie smiled.

Matt looked around for a minute.

"Have they been fed?" Matt asked.

"Yeah." Sylvie smiled.

"How can you tell?" Matt asked.

"There's a bag hanging in Annie's stall. The only time we ever hang bags is if we have fed them." Sylvie giggled.

A few minutes passed by before they headed inside. They went over to the couch and sat down. Sylvie grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned the TV on. They sat and watched TV for a while before Elaine and Evan came home after riding.

"Hey sis, we're home!" Evan yelled as he and his mom walked into the house.

Matt and Sylvie got up and walked into the kitchen where her brother and mother had just came in.

"There's some pizza and bread sticks that Matt got for all of us." Sylvie said.

"Oh, good. I'm starving." Evan joked.

They all laughed.

"You're always hungry." Sylvie joked.

"It's called hunger pains." Evan joked back.

"Alright you two, let's eat." Elaine chuckled.

Sylvie grabbed plates from the cabinet and placed them on the table. Evan grabbed some tea from the refrigerator and then grabbed some cups and placed them on the table.

"Let me tell you about these two, Matt. These are two sneaky siblings." Elaine laughed.

Matt was intrigued now.

"Sylvie? A sneak? I don't believe it." Matt said.

Elaine laughed and then flashed Sylvie a look.

"Do you wanna tell him about the time that you and Evan skipped school because you both went to a party the night before?" Elaine said with a smile.

This definitely got Matt's attention. Sylvie was turning red and normally, she would try to shut her mom up, but given the circumstances, she decided to let her mom tell the story.

"Wait, what party?" Matt curiously questioned.

"Alright, so Evan met this girl who was a sophomore in college. Sylvie was a senior in high school. Well, Evan talked his sweet, reliable, sister into going to this college party one night. Well, in order for them to go, they had to leave school at lunch in order to make it and you'll never guess where the party ended up being." Elaine explained.

"Where?" Matt asked.

"The University of Chicago." Elaine laughed.

Sylvie's face was blood red from blushing but the fact that she was allowing her mom to tell an embarrassing story to the guy that she was seeing just made her feel good because she needed to smile. Her mom needed to smile and telling stories was the only thing right now that Sylvie had to cling too.

"What happened?" Matt asked.

"Do you wanna finish the story?" Elaine asked Sylvie.

"Sure, but to be fair, it was Evan's idea." Sylvie said as she threw her brother under the bus.

"Hey, don't go blaming me. You're the one who went along with it." Evan laughed.

"Ok, ok. So, the party was at the University of Chicago. Evan thought it would be a good idea to tell mom and dad that we were going to leave school for lunch, so when they called the school to see if we were back, they were told that we missed the last two classes of the day." Sylvie said.

"Then dad busted us." Evan chimed in.

"So basically we drove to Chicago and stopped at a few places before going to the party. We purposely left our cell phones at school and well, dad wasn't too thrilled. He found out where we were because Evan's then ex girlfriend told dad that it was in Chicago but didn't say where." Sylvie laughed.

"So our dad spends all day looking for us. I think he said he went to the cops and reported us missing or something sometime that evening. When the party had started, Sylvie and I were having fun. We started drinking and that's when dad showed up. Needless to say, we were grounded." Evan laughed.

"Sylvie? Drinking at a party underage and grounded? No way." Matt chuckled.

Sylvie and Evan continued telling the story and even told a few more stories, with Elaine remembering her husband. They were all laughing and enjoying the conversation. It was getting late and they all headed upstairs to go to bed. Sylvie made sure that Elaine and Evan went into their rooms first before she and Matt went into her room. She grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom to change. While she was changing clothes, he changed into his pajama bottoms. She came back into the room and found Matt dressed in his pajama bottoms and a grey tank top. They crawled into bed and Matt wrapped his arms around her and went to sleep. It was nearly time for the wake for Sylvie's father. It was going to be hard. She was getting ready and it was very hard. She chose a pair of black dress pants with a navy blue v neck dress shirt and black blazer. Even though it was Spring, the weather was still a bit cool outside.

"Hey, your mom and Evan just left." Matt said as he walked into Sylvie's room.

"I'm almost ready." Sylvie said as she grabbed a sterling silver necklace and bracelet set off of her dresser.

The necklace that Sylvie put on was a sterling silver necklace with a silver heart on it with the words "I Love You" on it that her father gave her when she was adopted. The bracelet was also sterling silver with a silver heard on it with the words "Too The Moon And Back - Dad" that went with the necklace. She only wore the necklace and bracelet set once and that was for her high school graduation. She put on some perfume and put her black dress flat shoes on, and she and Matt left the house. They headed to the funeral home where her mom and brother were waiting on them. They arrived and greeted her mom and brother.

"I'm not ready for this." Sylvie told her brother.

"I know. Mom is gonna try to hold it together but we need to try to be strong for her." Evan said.

"I know." Sylvie quietly replied.

Evan and Elaine headed inside to greet people who were already there. Sylvie and Matt stayed back for a few minutes.

"I'm gonna be here for you. I'm not going anywhere. Ok." Matt said.

"I know." Sylvie whispered.

They headed inside where they were greeted by many of Sylvie's family members and most of the doctors and nurses from the hospital, some of which Sylvie really didn't want to be around, but still tried her best to be nice too. As she made her way through the crowd of people who were giving her their condolences, she spotted her family from 51.

"Hey kiddo." Herrmann said as he hugged Sylvie.

"Hey, Herrman." Sylvie half smiled.

"Sylvie, how are you?" Cindy asked.

Sylvie gave her a hug.

"I've been better." Sylvie slightly chuckled.

Sylvie looked and saw Kelly walking towards her. He gave her a big hug.

"How's my favorite paramedic doing?" Kelly joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I've been better but I'm just glad you guys are here." Sylvie half smiled.

"We're all here for you." Stella said.

"Thank you, guys. I'm glad you're all here." Sylvie smiled.

Mouch, Trudy, the Intelligence Team, and everyone else from Chicago that Sylvie knows had come to pay their respects and to be there for Sylvie. Sylvie introduced her mother and brother to everyone and Elaine and Evan finally understood why Sylvie loved Chicago. Everyone got along and Sylvie was right, they all were like family to each other.

"Thank you all for coming. I'm sure Sylvie is glad to have her friends here with her at this time." Elaine said.

"Mrs. Brett, I'm Chief Boden and on behalf of myself and Firehouse 51, we are sending our condolences to you and your family." Boden said.

"Thank you, so much." Elaine said as she hugged Boden.

Sylvie's cousins were a few rooms down in the kitchen making sandwiches and snacks for everyone. The real service wasn't until tomorrow but something about eating finger foods during this time and catching up with family that makes things seem like it's going to be alright. Sylvie had her family from 51 with her and she felt a bit at ease.


	17. The Final Goodbye

Hey everyone, thank you so much for the reviews! This story is almost finished but I am working on another Brett and Casey story. Please continue to leave reviews and let me know what you think of this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

CHAPTER 17

The wake ended and Sylvie, Matt, Elaine, and Evan were all at Elaine's house. Elaine and Evan had gone to bed while Sylvie and Matt were in her room. It was raining outside and Matt knew that Sylvie would want to go out.

"It's raining outside." Matt smiled.

"I know." Sylvie softly whispered.

"Do you wanna go sit outside on the swing?" he asked.

Sylvie smiled.

"I'd like that." she replied.

Matt grabbed the blanket off of Sylvie's bed and they headed downstairs to go sit outside. They were wearing their pajamas, with Matt wearing a grey long sleeve shirt and Sylvie wearing a flannel jacket. Matt sat down on the swing and then Sylvie positioned herself so that she was laying on Matt's lap. He ran his fingers through her hair. She was worn out. Her body needed to rest and she kept pushing through but tonight, her body just shut down. After she fell asleep, Matt gently and carefully carried her upstairs to her bedroom and placed her on the bed. He crawled into the bed next to her and held her. The next morning, Sylvie woke up to find that Matt was already up and ready.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Sylvie asked.

"It's only 9. You have plenty of time to get a shower and get ready." Matt said.

Sylvie got up and grabbed the black dress that she had packed, kissed Matt, and then went to take a shower. After getting ready, she and Matt headed downstairs.

"Your mom and brother already left. They wanted to say a private goodbye to your dad before the service." Matt said.

"Can we go? I'd like to say goodbye too." Sylvie softly said.

Matt nodded his head and then they left. They arrived at the funeral home and greeted Sylvie's mom and brother.

"Hey sweetheart." Elaine said as she tried to hide her tears.

"Hey, mom." Sylvie said.

Matt, Elaine and Evan left the room to give Sylvie time to say goodbye to her father in private. Sylvie walked over to the casket and started crying. After she composed herself, she began to say goodbye to her father.

"Daddy, I miss you so much. I don't know how to say goodbye to you or what to do. You will never get to walk me down the aisle or give me away at my wedding whenever that will be. I love you, daddy." Sylvie said as she said her final goodbye.

Matt came back in the room to check on Sylvie, who was walking towards Matt.

"How are you?" Matt asked.

"I'm hanging in there. I'm just so happy you're here with me. I'm not sure what I would do without you." Sylvie replied.

Matt gave her a kiss.

"Everyone is gonna start coming in soon but I'm not going anywhere." Matt said.

"Thank you." Sylvie whispered.

Sylvie and Matt went to find Elaine and Evan and to double check with the funeral director on how everything is supposed to go for the funeral. It was 10:00 and one by one, people were coming into the funeral home for the service. Sylvie saw her family come in along with her family from 51 and it brought her to tears. By 11:30 a.m., everyone had arrived for the funeral service. The pastor began to speak and afterwards, everyone headed to the cemetery for the burial. After arriving at the cemetery, the pastor said a few more words and then Sylvie's father was buried. Elaine and Evan headed home to be meet with a few family members, while Sylvie and Matt stayed back.

"Sylvie, there is no need for you to come back to work unless you want too. Take as much time as you need and don't worry about a thing." Boden said.

Sylvie gave Boden a hug.

"Thanks, Chief." Sylvie softly answered.

"Hey kiddo, Cindy and I are always around if you need anything." Herrmann said.

"I appreciate that." Sylvie half smiled.

She gave Herrmann a hug, followed by Cindy.

"Call me if you need me, day or night. Same goes with Kelly. We love you." Stella said.

"I love you guys, too." Sylvie smiled as she gave Stella a hug.

"If you ever need a friend to talk too about this, I'm here. You know, I went through this not that long ago, so I completely understand how you feel. Just remember, we all love you and are here for you." Kelly said.

His words hit hard. It wasn't that long ago that Kelly's father, Benny Severide, had passed away. Kelly had gone into a dark state of mind at that time and if it weren't for Stella, Kelly wasn't sure what would have happened.

"I know and I appreciate it. I'm just gonna take it day by day." Sylvie said.

"I love you, Brett." Kelly said as he hugged her.

"I love you, too." Sylvie said as she returned his hug.

"Hey bestie, we miss you. Chloe sends her love and she wanted me to give you this. We both love you." Joe said.

"Tell Chloe I said thank you and I love you both as well." Sylvie said as she gave her ex boyfriend a hug.

Joe returned the hug.

"You have a whole family at 51 waiting on you and well, I miss my bestie. Chout and the others are alright but I really miss you." Emily giggled.

Sylvie giggled. She could only imagine how the other guys filling in for her were driving Emily crazy. She gave her best friend a hug.

"Trudy sends her love and apologizes that she couldn't be here today. We're here for you." Mouch said.

Sylvie hugged Mouch.

"Tell Trudy that I said thank you and I understand." Sylvie replied.

"Tuesday misses her favorite person. She's been sleeping on your bunk at the house, so I apologize for the dog hair." Ritter laughed.

"I miss her too and thank you for coming." Sylvie said.

Ritter gave her a hug, followed by Gallo, Capp, and Tony.

"Thank you guys for coming today. It really means a lot too me." Sylvie said.

"We're just a phone call away." Boden said as he and the others gave her another hug before leaving.

Sylvie said one final goodbye to her father and then left with Matt to go home. Sylvie and Matt were greeted by Sylvie's aunts, uncles, and cousins, some of whom she hasn't seen in years. Everyone had grabbed a plate of food, including Sylvie and Matt, and were all mingling with each other. After a few hours of visiting one another, her family left and Elaine, Evan, Sylvie, and Matt were the only ones left. Evan took Matt outside to feed the horses to let Elaine and Sylvie talk.

"Sweetheart, I want you to go back to work on Monday." Elaine said.

"Mom, I've got plenty of time off. I don't mind." Sylvie said.

"But I do. I can tell you miss work and your brother got medically discharged from the Army, so he's gonna stay here and help me." Elaine said.

Evan had been medically discharged from the Army for a few months now and decided to come back to Fowlerton to care for his parents.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" Sylvie asked.

"Sweetie, listen to me. I love you and your dad loved you very much, but before he took a turn for the worse, he and I had talked about what would happen if something happened to either of us. Evan loves living in Fowlerton and you love Chicago. Your dad was very proud of you for doing what you love and for being you. He told me he didn't want you staying here, not because we don't love you but because we know how much Chicago means to you. Evan and I will call you once a day." Elaine explained.

"I'll go back home to Chicago but you and Evan better call me like you said." Sylvie said.

Elaine chuckled and agreed and then gave her daughter a hug. Evan and Matt came back into the house. Elaine went upstairs to go to bed. It had been a very exhausting and heartbreaking day. Evan went upstairs and hung out in his room, leaving Sylvie and Matt alone in the rest of the house. They were in

"So, I talked to my mom and she wants me to go back to work on Monday." Sylvie told Matt.

"Are you up for that?" Matt asked.

"I think so. I mean, I hate to sit around when I can be working." Sylvie said.

"I know the feeling." Matt said.

Sylvie looked at Matt and smiled.

"You know, I can't wait until we get home. I just want a date night where it's just the two of us and no one else." Sylvie teased.

"Hmm...I think I can arrange that." Matt teased.

He kissed her and they cuddled on the bed.

"So, when do you wanna leave?" Matt casually asked.

"I was thinking early in the morning. It's about a three hour drive and I wanna spend the day with you, if you want." Sylvie said.

Matt grinned.

"I like the sound of that." Matt teased with a whisper.

Sylvie yawned, letting Matt know she was tired. He kissed her and she returned the kiss. They were in a full on make out session for a few minutes until Matt pulled away.

"What was that for?" Matt teased.

"For everything and for putting up with my mood swings." Sylvie half smiled.

"Come here." Matt said as he pulled her close to him.

She snuggled up next to him with her back against his stomach. His arms wrapped around her and he held her close to him. The next morning, they got up around 5:00 a.m. and grabbed a shower, one at a time, and then got dressed. Elaine and Evan were already up and feeding the horses when Sylvie and Matt came downstairs with their suitcases and Matt took them outside and put them in the truck. Elaine and Evan came back inside and greeted Sylvie.

"Hey sweetheart." Elaine said with a smile.

"Hey mom." Sylvie said with a smile as she hugged her mother.

"Hey sis." Evan said.

Sylvie gave him a hug.

"Hey, so uh, I'm gonna need you to take care of mom for us. I have to go back to work in Chicago, but you and mom have to call at least once a day or once a week." Sylvie said.

"You got it." Evan chuckled.

Matt came back in and everyone hugged each other and said their goodbyes before Matt and Sylvie left. Matt and Sylvie were on their way back to Chicago when they decided to stop at McDonald's and get something to eat to go and then finally headed home. They finally arrived at the apartment and after parking the truck, they got out and Matt carried their suitcases upstairs to their apartment while Sylvie walked up to open the door.

"Ah, it's so good to be home." Sylvie laughed as she sat down on the couch.

Matt sat the suitcases down and walked over to her.

"It sure is." Matt chuckled.

"So, I was thinking that maybe we could have that first date that we never had." Sylvie teased.

"Now that sounds like a plan, but first, let's just get some sleep." Matt yawned.

"That sounds great." Sylvie chuckled.

Matt got up and headed his bedroom while Sylvie stayed on the couch.

"Am I not going to have my cuddle buddy come with me?" Matt joked.

Sylvie let out a small giggle.

"Well, I wouldn't want to let you down." Sylvie joked.

She got up and walked over to Matt and walked with him to his bedroom. They crawled into the bed and cuddled. Several hours later, Matt quietly got out of the bed without waking Sylvie up. While he was in the kitchen cooking breakfast, there was a knock on the door. Matt walked over to answer the door.

"Hey man, how's Brett?" Kelly asked.

"She's sleeping. We're gonna be back at work tomorrow." Matt said.

"A lot has happened while you guys have been gone. Guess who showed up?" Kelly said.

By the look on Kelly's face, Matt could tell that something was wrong.

"Let me guess, Grissom?" Matt asked.

"Yeah and that's only the beginning. So, my time at OFI ended and I'm back at 51, but now Grissom is telling Boden that he needs me at OFI for the next year because of the back logs of cases that OFI has." Kelly said.

"You're kidding. Can Grissom do that?" Matt asked.

"I don't know. Mouch is looking into that. If I end up at OFI, I will quit." Kelly said.

"That's crazy but can you really just give up the CFD?" Matt asked.

"As much as it will kill me to do that, it's either that or go to OFI for the next year and I can't do that. If Grissom thinks I'm gonna follow in my dad's footsteps, he's got another thing coming." Kelly said.

"Maybe Mouch can find something to help you out." Matt said.

Just then Kelly's phone rang. It was Mouch.

"Hello?" Kelly asked.

"Hey, Severide. Can you meet me at 51? I may have something." Mouch said over the phone.

"Sure. I'll be there in ten minutes." Kelly said.

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.

"That was Mouch. He wants to meet me at 51. He thinks that he might have something." Kelly explained.

Matt and Kelly said their goodbyes and Kelly left. Sylvie woke up and decided to go hang out with Stella and Emily for a few hours.

"Hey, Foster just texted me. She and Stella wanna get together for a few hours. Is that alright?" Sylvie asked Matt as she walked into the living room.

Matt walked over to her and kissed her.

"You never have to ask. Go have fun. While you're doing that, I'll figure out what our official first date will be." Matt said.

"Hmm...surprise me." Sylvie said.

"I think I will." Matt teased.

They kissed and then Sylvie headed out to meet her best friends for lunch. This gave Matt the perfect opportunity to plan his date with Sylvie.


	18. Planning For Date Night

Hey everyone, thank you all so much for the reviews. The final chapters of this story are almost finished and I will be posting as soon as I can. I've hit writers block on this story and I'm also working on a new story called, Right Kind Of Wrong if you all wanna check that story out. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter and please continue to leave the reviews!

CHAPTER 18

"There she is!" Stella smiled as Sylvie walked towards her and Emily.

"I'm so glad to be home." Sylvie smiled.

"How are you doing?" Emily asked.

"I'm hanging in there. I can't wait to get back to work though." Sylvie smiled.

"Alright, so we need your help with something. Chloe asked if we could throw her a bridal shower. Can you help us?" Stella asked.

"Absolutely. Does she have a certain theme that she wants? You know, like the colors for her wedding?" Sylvie asked.

"She said something about pink and red but I'm not sure." Emily said.

"What about when she wants to have the party?" Sylvie asked.

"She said in two weeks but she hasn't been able to find a place though." Stella said.

"I may have an idea. We could use the briefing room or common room at 51." Sylvie said.

"Would Boden approve it?" Emily asked.

"I don't know. I could ask him." Sylvie said.

"We need a backup just in case Boden says no." Stella said.

"Any suggestions?" Emily asked.

"What about your apartment?" Stella asked Sylvie.

"I mean, I guess it could work. I'd have to clear it with Casey first but that shouldn't be a problem. We definitely need a head count as to how many people are coming so we know how big of a space we need." Sylvie said.

"Well, what about the rec center downtown?" Emily asked.

"Don't they charge for renting one of the rooms?" Stella asked.

"Oh yeah. Well, we definitely need to know how many people are coming so we know how big of a place we need. Stella, can you get that for me?" Sylvie asked.

"Absolutely. What's next" Stella asked.

"Food." Sylvie said.

"What place around here caters and doesn't charge a fortune?" Emily asked.

"I'll do it but don't expect me to do it all the time. This is a one time only deal." Sylvie said.

"We'll take it." Stella said.

"I'll call Chloe and see what all she needs for her bridal shower. You know I love planning things, so this will be fun." Sylvie smiled.

The women continued to chat for a bit and decided to go shopping. Meanwhile, Matt was at the apartment trying to plan the perfect date for Sylvie. He called his sister.

"Hey, I need a favor. Can you come by my new place?" Matt asked over the phone.

"Sure. I can be there in about twenty minutes." Christie said.

They hung up the phone and Matt texted his sister the address. Within twenty minutes, she was there.

"Hey, so I need a favor or at least some help." Matt said.

"What's going on?" Christie asked.

"This stays between us. Brett and I have decided to start seeing each other." Matt said.

"Gabby's best friend? The paramedic?" Christie asked.

"Yeah." Matt said.

"Matt, that is Gabby's best friend and it's crossing a line." Christie said.

"How? How is that crossing the line? Gabby left me to take a job in Puerto Rico and didn't even care about how I felt. It's been a while since then." Matt said.

"Matt, you can't just turn those feelings off because she's not here. You and Gabby belong together." Christie said.

"Christie, she left me. The minute that we lost Louie is the minute she pulled away from me. She didn't want to try for another baby. She didn't want to stay and keep her job that she worked hard for. She gave up. Christie, I put everything I had into our relationship and she left me." Matt said.

"I get that Matt, but you just gave up on her." Christie argued.

"I gave up on Gabby? Really? How did I do that? She just up and decided to go to Puerto Rico without talking to me about it. She came home, packed her bags, and when I got home, she told me she was going to Puerto Rico. She asked me to go with her but I said no because I had my job and everything I needed here in Chicago. So, she left. When she came back, she packed all of her things, and told me to go with her. She didn't talk to me about it. She was going whether or not I went with her. She ended the marriage. She's the one who filed for divorce. I called and texted her every single day and she would call or text me once every other week or so. That's not a marriage, Christie, that's being selfish." Matt explained.

Christie stopped and thought about what Matt said. Maybe she was wrong about him and Gabby. She didn't have all the facts.

"I didn't know that she had made her mind up." Christie said.

"Yeah. She came home and no matter how hard I tried to plead and beg her to stay, her mind was made up. When she went to Puerto Rico, she told me that she couldn't handle being here in Chicago due to the memories of losing Louie and the baby. I don't blame her but I think I pushed her to get married when she wasn't ready. It's been a while and Brett has been there for me through everything." Matt explained.

"I just want you to be happy. I'm sorry if I came off the wrong way or a bit strong, but you're my baby brother." Christie apologized.

"It's ok." Matt said.

They gave each other a hug.

"Alright little brother, what do you need help with?" Christie asked.

"Well, Brett's dad just passed away right around the time that we decided to start dating and I want to plan a romantic date for her here with just the two of us." Matt said.

"I see. Well, do you know what she likes? You know, like flowers, candles, that sort of thing?" Christie asked.

"I guess." Matt replied.

"Typical guy answer. Did you ever do anything like this for Gabby?" Christie asked.

"Not really." Matt answered.

"Well, we are gonna fix that. I'm gonna run to the flower shop and get you some flowers and some flower petals. Uh, can you manage to go to the store and buy some candles?" Christie asked.

"Yeah." Matt answered.

"Alright, so we'll meet back here in an hour. Did Sylvie say when she would be back?" Christie asked.

"No, but how do I keep her out until we set things up here?" Matt questioned.

"Matthew Casey, I don't think I have ever seen you like this before. You really have it bad for her, don't you?" Christie asked.

Matt blushed, which was unusual for him to do.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Matt replied.

"I'm happy for you, but call her and ask her when is she coming home." Christie suggested.

Matt called Sylvie, who told Matt that she was gonna help Chloe plan Chloe's bridal shower.

"So, she's busy helping plan Chloe's bridal shower." Matt said.

"Alright, so I'm gonna go get the flowers. You get the wine, wine glasses, candles, and whatever you wanna have for dinner." Christie said.

"Well, let's go. Meet back here in an hour. Brett said she would call when she's on her way. Oh and one more thing. No one at the firehouse knows about us,  
so can you please not say anything? We are trying to take things slow." Matt said.

"My lips are sealed, now let's go." Christie said.

They left and Christie went to a flower shop to get flowers and flower petals, while Matt went to the store to get the candles, wine, and some food for dinner. He had wine glasses at the apartment. After buying everything he needed, he left and met his sister back at the apartment.

"Brett said that she was gonna call when she is on her way home." Matt said.

"Perfect. Alright, start dinner and I'll help fix the place up." Christie said.

Matt grabbed all the things he needed to cook with and began making pasta salad, mashed potatoes, corn, and a roast. Matt had also bought a small thing of chocolate and some strawberries and began making chocolate covered strawberries as well. While Matt was cooking, Christie was turning the apartment into a scene from a romantic movie. She placed a red table cloth over the dining room table and then placed the glass candle holders with the candles in them, on the table. She grabbed two plates from the cabinet and some silverware and placed them on the table. She grabbed a vase that Sylvie had fake flowers in and took the fake flowers out. Christie then filled the vase with water and placed the dozen pink roses that she bought in the vase. She then sprinkled some of the flower petals on the table and then gave Matt the leftover flower petals. Matt grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet and the wine that he bought and filled the glasses with the wine. He then placed the wine glasses on the table next to the plates.

"Is that everything?" Christie asked Matt.

"The roast should be done in a few hours. I guess picking out a movie to end our date is the only thing left to do." Matt answered.

"What's her favorite movie?" Christie asked.

"She's always talking about the Harry Potter movies." Matt said.

"Perfect. The best one, in my opionion, is the first one, because that's when you find out that Harry Potter is a wizard." Christie joked.

"If that's the one you say to go with, then I'll put it on." Matt said.

"Alright, well, I've gotta go pick up Violet from her friend's house. I love you and I want you to be happy. I haven't really had a chance to meet this woman that is making you happy but I'd like too. Maybe you two could come have dinner with me and Violet next month? I'm going out of town for business and she's staying with her dad, but when I get back, we need to have dinner together." Christie suggested.

"You got it." Matt said.

Matt and Christie gave each other a hug and then Christie headed out. Matt checked on the food and everything was nearly finished except the roast. He realized that he should have waited closer to the roast being finished before cooking the food, but he wasn't really thinking about that at the time. Meanwhile, Sylvie was with Stella and Emily at Chloe's place. Instead of sending each other to get information from Chloe, they all decided to go to Chloe's place and find out just what exactly she wanted for her bridal shower.

"So, let's just go over this list again to make sure we didn't miss anything." Sylvie said.

"Ok, so we have the table cloths." Chloe said.

"The pink ones that you bought. Yes." Sylvie said.

"We have the center pieces of vases with the fake red roses that I bought." Chloe said.

"There's also the picture frames with the pictures of you and Cruz." Emily said.

"Right." Chloe replied.

"What else?" Sylvie asked.

"Invitations. How many people have said that they are coming so that we can get a head count?" Stella asked.

"There's about 30 people coming that said that they were coming." Chloe replied.

"Alright. I'll talk to Chief Boden about using the firehouse off shift for the party." Sylvie said.

"Do we have a backup?" Chloe asked.

Sylvie just thought of something.

"What about the church's kitchen? It's big enough and that's where you and Joe said that you were having the wedding." Sylvie said.

"I'll check with the pastor and let you know. It shouldn't be a problem." Chloe smiled.

"What about the bridal games? Do we have prizes for the winners?" Emily asked.

"Yeah. My mom and I went out and bought a few gifts for the winners." Chloe said.

"Perfect. Alright, food. I will be more than happy to make anything you need for the bridal shower. I just need a menu of what you want." Sylvie said.

"I can do that. Also, my mom and I have a few decorations that we can set up wherever we have the bridal shower at. We have streamers, balloons, that sort of thing." Chloe said.

"Great." Stella said.

"Is that everything?" Sylvie asked.

"I think so." Chloe said as she got up and walked over to her work bag. She got out a piece of paper and then brought it over to Sylvie.

"Here's the menu for the bridal shower. It's nothing fancy but if you could, will you make extra just in case we have more than 30 people that come?" Chloe asked.

"Absolutely. I forgot to ask you. When is the bridal shower?" Sylvie asked.

"This weekend." Chloe said.

"Works for me. Just text me and let me know where the shower is gonna be at." Sylvie said.

"I will. Stella, Emily, thank you both for helping as well." Chloe said.

"Not a problem. Always happy to help." Stella said.

"Anytime you need something, just ask." Emily replied.

"Thank you guys!" Chloe exclaimed.

They all got up and say their goodbyes to Chloe and then left.

"Brett, you have any plans for tonight?" Stella asked.

"I'm just gonna get some sleep. I get to start back to work tomorrow." Sylvie said.

"Oh yeah, that is right." Stella said.

"We'll be glad when you're back. Everyone has missed you and Chout and the other paramedics have been driving me crazy. It got so bad that Boden had to put Kidd on Ambo with me for two days." Emily said.

"You're kidding." Sylvie said in shock.

"No. I thought I was going to pull my hair out." Emily laughed.

They women laughed.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Sylvie said as she got in her car.

She texted Matt.

"ON MY WAY HOME. BE THERE IN TEN MINUTES. - SYLVIE." the text message said.

Matt read the text message and smiled. All the food was finished and he placed the food on the table, lit the candles, and waited on Sylvie to get home. He was dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a navy blue dress shirt. He wanted tonight to be the perfect date for her. He had planned this special night for the both of them and he can't wait to see the look on her face when she gets home. It's been a rough few weeks for Sylvie and he just wants one night with her where it's just the two of them and no one else. Both of them go back to work tomorrow, where they go back to pretending that they aren't dating and honestly, Sylvie was looking forward to that. She has missed her friends asking her when are her and Matt going to get together. Sylvie finally arrived home.

"I"m home!" Sylvie called out as she closed the door.

She turned around and saw Matt looking very sexy in dress pants and a dress shirt. She noticed the room was decorated with flower petals and there was a candlelight dinner. Matt walked over to her and greeted her with a passionate kiss and then handed her a rose. She took the rose and smiled. He held her hand and walked her over to the dining room table and pulled the chair out for her. She almost forgot about their date night but she was so happy that Matt did this for her.


	19. Author's Note

Happy One Chicago Day! I just wanted to let you all know that I will be going out of town this weekend and won't be updating until I return. I have severe writer's block with this story and the direction I'm going but I will be posting a new chapter when I get back home. Have a great weekend and I'll post the next chapter when I get back home :) 


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